SF 
-3-45- 


UC-NRLF 


*B    277    3m 

1  MANUAL 

•g 

INFORMATION  RESPECTING  THE  GROWTH 

OF   THE 

MULBERRY     TREE, 

WITH 

SUITABLE  DIRECTIONS 

.  FOR    THE 

CULTURE    OP    SILK. 

IN   THREE   PARTS. 

BY   J.    H.    COBB,    A.   M. 


PUBLISHED  BY   DIRECTION   OF  HIS   EXCELLENCY  GOT.  LINCOLN, 
AGREEABLY    TO   A    RESOLVE   OF   THE    COMMONWEALTH. 


Ostendens  hujus  muneris  usum.^—  Vida,  in  JBombyx. 


BOSTON: 
CARTER    &HENDEE. 

M  DCCC  XXXII. 


CQ 


THE  SILK  CUL7TTJ3T. 

oY/7,-  (Su-ltur"  and  Mulberry  Specula! ion. 
The  editorial  articU*  on  ihU  subject  which 
appears  in  this  number,  (pane  li'r-'i)  was  in 
type  (except  the  clo. ing  postscript.)  before 
liir  reception  of  the  communication  of  Tho- 
mas Hiek>,  Esq.  which  \va>  published  in  the 
preceding  number  (page  S7S  ;.)  and  th'1  first 
num. '(I  article  was  expected  to  have  be  \-. 
presented,  in  the  proper  order  oftim".  before 
th'.1  latter.  Our  absence  caused  then  uission 
— ••and  the  consequent  awkwardftcs  e>  ;;;> 
p'-aivince  of*"o  ir  notes  t  »  .Mr.  Ili:-k%  !>  tier, 
wh'-h  wre  written  to  follow,  though  in  fact 
they  preceded  the -publication  of  iheuider  ar- 
tick-.  * 

It  lias  ha;  wn!  occa 

thi<  \v -.>'•!•-,  that  a  communication  "Vxhib  t^nir 
errors  and  mistakes  of  the  writ  r.  has  served 
l,,i  b;  I..-  \  nd  fu'l  infjrmation  i  n 

the  subject,  rs  better  informed.   We 

III'.!     if!""    : 

such  will  be  the  fruit  ot  our  remarks  on  wha 
may  be  term"d  (  in  plQre  t!i;i!i  one  ;  T.s-e)  ll 
mystery  of  silk  culture  in  tin  •  i-oimtry 
hav  •  b'-en  <'"ii\i"Lr.  by    olh'T  m"an>.  as  \w:! 
as  by  the  publication  of  the  article  referr< 
(ant!  i'  >  still    earlier    con»muMt<-ntion   irr  (ho  I 
proof  she<  t.)  to  obtain  jn-fo  >n  this  in-  | 

t  ri'-ii.iL:  subject  ;  and  \v-  lUecl,  and  | 

hi;-,) ..."  to  r;  (Vive,  in  p;irt.  before  the  i-.pp-ar- 
i  (hi-  number,  from  two  verv  intelli- 
£er;i.  and  well-informed  correspondents,  in- 
teresting and  valuable  information  on  differ- 
ent branches  of  this  subject. 

In  the  time  which  bast-lapped  since  the 
j).  iminu  of  th  •  article  referred  to.  \vehave 
heard  of  circumstances  which,  it'  of  earlier 
oc.cmrence,  would  have  varied  the  details.  • 
and  sonu'ofthe  inferences, though  they  serve  ; 
to  confirm  the  correctness  of  the  general 
views  there  presented.  The  demand  for 
plants  of  the  Chinese  mulberry  h.is  indeed  so 
greatly  increased  at  the  north,  that  every 
plant  and  cutting  now  in  Virginia,  may  be* 
sold  this  year  to  northern  purchasers  at  the 
highest  prices.  To  oar  previous  views  and 
recommendations,  therefore,  we  would  add 
the  advice  to  all  who  have  plants  to  spare,  not 
to  sell  any  to  speculators  lower  than  at  the 
highest  prices  ;  to  raise  as  many  plants  as 
possible  in  1839,  from  the  stock  retained. and 
to  be  prepared  then  to  supply  the  whole  coun- 
try at  greatly  reduced  prices,  and  yet  at  great- 
er profits  ihan  the  highest  prices  at  present 
would  give.  Every  single  bud  planted  next 
spring,  and  well  taken  care  ot.  will  produce 

frn.u    1O  tn  70  hml< — cur  not  1.--  =  =  iJinn  30  nn 


in  average  ;  and  therefore  at  a  mlf-c 
even  a.  quarter  cent  the  bud,  the  sock  < 
"1  yield  a  much  greater  sum  th?n  -ill 
?ent  growing  stock  at  2  cents  the  hul, 
or  30  cents  the  rooted  plant.  But  v 
;he  sales  are  made  this  year  at  the 
ligh  price,  or  next  year  at  much  lov 
gratifying  ihat  the  course  of  trade  iss 
oletely  turned,  and  that  northern  pir 
ire  now  coming  to  the  south  for  sup>li 
hat  this  year  more  money  will  thin 
o  Virginia,  than  all  that  the  northern 
•yrn  MI  have  before  got  from,  u*  for  tl 
mature  and  defective  plants,  with  wh 
state  was  stocked. 

It  is  not    merely  the  rage    of  spec 
stimulated  by    legislative  bounties, 
caused  'his  great  demand  at  the  north 
',-  a  real  and  great  scarcity  of  morus 
raulis,  caused  by  the  immense  loss  of 
by  the  wet  and  cold  weather  ot   1; 
and  early  spring,  and  the  drought  tFr 
The  following  communication  AL 
tersburg  Intelligencer  shows  that  o'  ) 

;,deni,  Mr.  Hi  ^w 

ready  been  well  paid  (and  it  was  r?( 
infers,)  for  his  enterprise.  wj 
sundry  large,  dealers  and  speculate 
ready  gone  ihrouirh  lower  Virgini<?K 
engage  1.  (and  we  fear,  generally  ^ 
price  they  were  willing  to  pay,)  alir 
of  the  morus  multicaulis  they  i^j 
for  sale.  I) 

Lawrencecille,  Aug.  'd 
'  I  think  the  public  oifght  tokn»i!" 
Thomas  Hicks,  ot  thi->  county,  ticP1 
fore  hist,  and  la-t  year,  laid  out  & "'' 
mulberry  trees  ;  and  this  f;  1  , 
10,060  trees.     Two  day  n^ 
^0.000  to  some  ^ent^'inen  in    l^U- 
".ts  a  tree— thi  residue  h-  r" 
3cll  i.i  this  vicinity  ;  havingreali^c: 
?ome  sum  of  .$7,500,   from  so  ire 
an  outlay,  in  so  short  a  time.     IVr.su 
pects  to  have,  by  tall  twelve  monlSI 
trees  more  for  sale,  and  in  all  prof*' 
get  nearly  quite  as  much    per  tnc-1;i 
a'-o  commenced    the  past    seasci11 
silk,  and  has  succeeded  beyond   L 
tions,  demonstrating  f.hat  our  coui^,- 
genial  to  the'production  of  that  be[  ] 
valuable  article.     Mr.  H.  des  r. ••  - 
and  has  the  congratulations  of  the  ; 
ty  for  his  enterprise  and  success  HL> 
ing  a  new  source  of  revenue  and  ji- 
county." 

Having  written  to  M>.  Hicks  to  ki 
ther  this  statement  was  entirely  c 
has  stated  in  reply  that  the  writer  h 

t-r»ir»u  mic:fnlrp«    wKii'h    li n  nnrrpntc  n 


l:The  outlay  for  my  plants  was  ?. 
of  8245  :  and  the  time  Allotted   me   to  M 
the  m  es  is  one  year  more   than  I  have  bee 
employed.     I  never  saw  a  Chinese  mulberry 
tree  until  last   \var,  (summer  of    1837.) 
think  it    probable    I  may  be    able    to    plant 
200,000  cuttings    next  "spring,    instead    of       r. 
150,000.     The  balance  of  the  letter  is  all  cor-       % 
reel."     "If  I  had  not    sold  the    20,000  trees,  H| 
they  would  now  brin«-me  $1000  more  than  I  | 
am  to  receive."     This  letter    is    dated  Sep- 
tember 8th,  which  was  12  days  only  after  the 
sale  had  been  made. 

Since  the  20th  of  August,  the  agents  of  at 
least  five  different  and  distant  mnUicaulis 
dealers  have  visited  this  plnce,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  purchasing  the  plants  which  are  in 
and  near  Petersburg  Mosi  if  these  agents 
have  come  sine?,  the  first  of  these  lines  were 
written.  So  rapid  and  violent  has  been  the 
rise  of  the  multicaulis  speculation  that  our 
monthly  publication  can  give  but  a  faint  idea 
of  its  progress.  For  the  last  month,  almost 
daily  reports  would  have  been  necessary  to 
show  the  state  of  the  trade,  and  the  extent  of 
the  demand.  Considering  that  the  northern 
states  are  the  original  seat,  and  still  the  prin-. 
cipal  scene,  of  this  speculation— the  great 
void  which  still  is  to  fill,  throughout  both  the 
north  and  the  south,  for  actualas  well  as 
speculative  demand— the  difficulty  with 
which  young  multicaulis  plants  are  raised 
in  the  north,  and  the  far  greater  vigor  in 
growing  and  alter-value  of  those  raised  in 
Virginia — it  will  not  be  more  strange  than  the 
present  state  of  things,  if  very  hi^h  prices 
should  continue  to  be  maintained  through 
another  year.  But  all  prudent  holders  and 
planters  here  ought  so  to  act  as  to  be  prepar- 
ed to  meet  a  great  reduction  of  price.  The 
few  persons  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  have 
many  growing  plants,  of  course,  will  do  right 
to  make  the  most  of  the  present  demand  for 
their  surplus  stock.  But  with  a  view  to  all 
interests,  it  will  be  better  to  plant  next  spring 
than  to  sell  abroad  now  ;  as  8  cents,  or  even 
6  cents  the  tree,  in  1839,  will  pay  a  far  better 
profit,  than  to  sell  the  stock  grown  in  183S  for  ! 
lour  times  those  prices — which  may  now  be 
readilv  obtained.  Much  money  must  be 
brought  into  Virginia  from  other  states  by 
tho  mania  for  this  trade  ;  and  so  far  to  effect 
a  general  spread  in  %  of  the  multicaulis. which 
this  mania  certainly  will,  it  will  produce 
much .benefit  to  public  interest?.  But  when 
the  violent  fever  shall  have  subsided,  it  is  to 
be  feared  that  as  great  a  reaction  (or  non-ac- 
tion) will  follow  the  unnatural  excitement : 


•'1"  ^ 


A  VALUABLE  SUGGESTION. 

Gideon  B.  Smith,  Esq.  of  this  city,  has  suggested  a 
most  valuable  method  of  destroy  ing  the  chrysalis  in  the 
cocoons  of  the  silk  worm.  It  consists  simply  in  ex 
posing  them  to  the  influence  of  ignited  charcoal.  A 
friend  to  whom  he  made  the  suggestion,  has,  we  learn, 
made  an  experiment  on  his  plan,  which  proved  entirely 
successful,  and  we  have  no  doubt,  oursejf,  that,  it  will 
prove  a  most  invaluable  acquisition  to  silk  culturists, 
as  besides  being  the  most  economical  method  of  killing 
the  chrysalis,  it  will  effect  its  object  without  hardening 
the  gum  on  the  cocoons,  thus  rendering  them  much 
easier  to  reel.  On  a  rough  calculation,  we  think  fully 
one  fourth  of  the  expense  of  the  process  may  be  thus 
saved. 

As  has  been  the  case  in  others  of  his  discoveries,  we 
should  not  be  surprised,  if  some  ingenious  sdvan  of 
Paris  should  make  the  discovery  of  this  method,  and 
that  it  should  be  trumpeted  forth  by  the  American  press 
as  a  pearl  of  exceeding  great  price,  as  this  is  the  coun- 
try where  "genius  languishes  and  fancy  dies,"  and 
fashion  has  long  since  decreed  that  the"  old  saw  of 
Shakespeare,  that  "that  which  we  call  a  rose  by  any 
other  name  would  smell  as  sweet,"  is  a  mere  fiction 
of  the  brain— a  coinage  of  the  poet.— Farmer  and  Gar- 
dener. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


MAIN 


try  ut^iftftly  r. 
er  profits  than    the  in,. 
would  give.     Every  siru 
spring,  and  well    taken  ca, 
from  10  to  70  buds — siy  no 


/>/.,/ 7'*?   /. 


Fig  2 


!>    f 


m 


L      i'l..l'1'K     I! 


MANUAL 


CONTAINING 

INFORMATION    RESPECTING    THE    GROWTH 

OF    THE 

MULBERRY     TREE, 

WITH 

SUITABLE    DIRECTIONS 

FOR    THE 

CULTURE     OF     SILK, 

IN   THREE    PARTS. 


.H.. 


BY  J:'H.  COBB,  A.  M. 


PUBLISHED  BY  DIRECTION  OF  HIS  EXCELLENCY  GOV.  LINCOLN, 
AGREEABLY  TO  A  RESOLVE  OF    THE    COMMONWEALTH. 


Ostendens  hujus  muneris  usum. 

F 'id  a  in  Bombyx. 


BOSTON, 

PUBLISHED    BY    CARTER    AND    HENDEE 

MDCCC  XXXII. 


MAIN  LIB.-AGRICi 


OSTON      CLASSIC      PRESS 
I.      R.      BUTTS. 


r 


INTRODUCTION  . 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES, 

THURSDAY,  FEB.  24,  1831. 

MR  WHEELER,  from  the  Committee  on  Agriculture, 
who  were  instructed  to  consider  the  expediency  of  en- 
couraging the  growth  of  the  MULBERRY  TREE,  and 
the  Culture  of  SILK,  made  the  following 

REPORT. 

The  Committee  have  examined  the  subject  attentively, 
and  find  it  to  be  of  much  greater  importance  than  was  at  first 
supposed.  They  are  surprised  to  find  how  great  a  field  is 
here  open,  and  how  long  it  has  been  neglected ;  they  are 
satisfied  beyond  a  doubt,  that  we  have  the  power  to  produce 
and  manufacture  Silk  in  this  Commonwealth  to  an  immense 
extent,  and  that  no  difficulty  is  to  be  encountered  either  from 


IV  INTRODUCTION. 

The  nations  of  Europe  are  generally  engaged  in  the  cul- 
ture and  manufacture  of  silk.  France,  more  than  any  other 
nation,  derives  her  power  and  resources  mainly  from  this 
branch  of  her  industry ;  her  example  has  induced  England, 
Holland,  Germany,  Prussia  and  Sweden  to  engage  with  zeal 
in  the  same  pursuit. 

The  culture  of  silk  is  important  in  relation  to  the  amount  of 
silk  imported  and  consumed  in  this  country,  which  exceeds 
seven  millions  of  dollars,  while  the  amount  of  bread  stuff 
exported  is  on  the  average  less  than  six  millions  of  dollars  ! 
Facts  like  these  need  no  comment ;  yet  it  is  proper  that  we 
should  bear  in  mind,  that  the  vast  sums  thus  expended  for 
silk  in  its  various  forms,  are  paid  indirectly  to  enrich  the 
Agriculture  and  Manufacture  of  other  nations,  the  raw 
material  of  which  may  be  produced  here  with  as  much  cer- 
tainty as  cotton  or  any  other  staple  product. 

The  article  of  silk  has  already  been  produced  by  a  few  of 
our  citizens  in  small  quantities,  of  a  quality  not  inferior  to  the 
best  imported.  Jonathan  H.  Cobb,  Esq.  of  Dedham,  has  com- 
menced the  culture  of  silk  with  success,  and  has  introduced 
some  valuable  improvements,  especially  in  the  art  of  reeling 
from  the  cocoon,  and  it  is  due  to  that  gentleman,  that  the 
Committee  should  remark,  that  it  is  from  practical  information 
communicated  by  him,  that  they  have  derived  some  important 
facts  in  relation  to  this  subject. 

The  state  of  society  in  this  Commonwealth  is  well  adapt- 
ed to  promote  the  successful  culture  of  silk  :  it  is  an  em- 
ployment, in  which  females  and  children  may  be  honorably 
and  profitably  engaged  ;  with  the  exception  of  planting  the 
Mulberry  tree,  the  whole  labor  may  be  performed  by  that 
class  of  the  community.  The  Committee  feel  warranted  in 


INTRODUCTION.  V 

saying  that  so  soon  as  the  article  can  be  produced,  a  good 
home  market  will  be  found  at  such  prices  as  to  afford  a  profit 
on  the  expense  and  labor  bestowed  upon  it.  The  White 
Mulberry  tree  is  easily  cultivated,  does  not  require  the  best 
soil,  serves  a  valuable  purpose  for  hedges,  and  is  highly 
ornamental. 

The  Committee  are  satisfied  that  little  capital  is  required  to 
commence  the  culture  of  silk,  except  that  capital  which  con- 
sists in  knowledge.  It  is  INFORMATION  which  is  the  founda- 
tion of  Agriculture,  as  well  as  other  arts.  Nothing  is  so  well 
calculated  to  call  the  attention  of  the  public  to  this  subject  as 
information  respecting  its  value,  and  the  means  by  which 
our  citizens  may  avail  themselves  of  the  advantages  which 
are  connected  with  it ;  for  the  purpose  of  disseminating  this 
information  the  Committee  have  thought  it  their  duty  to  report 
the  following  resolution. 

Which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

For  the  Committee,       '          ABEL  WHEELER,  Chairman . 


House  of  Representatives,  Feb.  24, 1831. 

Resolved,  That  his  Excellency  the  Governor  be  requested 
to  cause  to  be  compiled  and  printed  a  concise  MANUAL,  to 
contain  the  best  information  respecting  the  growth  of  the 
MULBERRY  TREE,  with  suitable  directions  for  the  culture  of 
SILK,—  and  that  this  manual  be  distributed  in  suitable  num- 
bers in  the  city  of  Boston,  and  to  every  town  in  the  Common- 
wealth.—  That  to  defray  the  expense  thus  incurred,  he  be 
authorized  to  draw  his  warrant  on  the  treasury  for  a  sum  not 
exceeding  six  hundred  dollars. 
1* 


PREFACE . 


IN  preparing  this  Manual  the  author  has  been  guided 
by  the  personal  experience  which  he  has  had  for  seve- 
ral years  in  the  culture  of  the  Mulberry  Tree  and 
rearing  of  Silk  Worms  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 

In  addition  to  the  instruction  which  his  own  prac- 
tical knowledge  in  the  business  has  suggested,  he  has 
made  use  of  the  following  works,  from  some  of  which 
he  has  made  considerable  extracts,  where  he  found  the 
instruction  conveyed  was  such,  as  from  the  test  of  ex- 
perience he  could  recommend,  viz.  —  The  Manual 
published  under  the  authority  of  Congress ;  the  two 
first  numbers  of  the  Silk  Culturist,  by  Dr  Felix  Pascalis, 
of  New  York ;  Mr  Wm.  H.  Vernon's  abridgment 
of  the  large  French  work  of  M.  de  la  Brousse  ;  Es- 
says on  American  Silk  by  Messrs  D'Homergue  and 
Du  Ponceau,  of  Philadelphia ;  and  a  pamphlet  published 
by  Gideon  B.  Smith,  Esq.  of  Baltimore.  The  au- 
thor tenders  his  thanks  to  several  of  the  above-named 
gentlemen  for  the  liberty  which  they  have  permitted 
him  to  take,  as  also  for  many  personal  communications 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

on  important  branches  of  the  business,  which  they  have 
suggested  to  him  in  the  short  interviews  he  has  had 
with  them.  From  two  of  these  gentlemen,  of  the 
highest  respectability,  he  has  received  the  subjoined 
testimonials. 

Philadelphia.  27ih  June,  1331. 

DEAR  SIR  —  I  have  read  with  great  satisfaction  the 
Manual  for  the  Culture  of  Silk  which  you  have  prepared  by 
order  of  His  excellency  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  in 
pursuance  of  a  resolution  of  your  State  Legislature,  and  am 
well  pleased  with  the  manner  in  which  you  have  treated  the 
subject.  Availing  myself  of  the  permission  you  have  given 
me,  I  have,  with  the  aid  of  Mr  D'Homergue,  taken  the 
liberty  to  suggest  a  few  ideas  on  the  blank  leaves  of  the 
manuscript,  of  which  you  will  make  what  use  you  shall  think 
proper. 

The  works  of  foreign  writers  on  the  cultivation  of  mulberry 
trees  and  raising  of  silk  worms,  particularly  in  the  latter, 
are  by  no  means  suited  to  the  meridian  of  this  country,  and 
are  rather  calculated  to  discourage  than  instruct  our  farmers. 
You  have  with  great  propriety  discarded  their  artificial  heat, 
thermometers,  barometers,  hygrometers,  and  all  their  va- 
riety of  troublesome  methods,  minute  regulations  and  useless 
implements,  which  make  the  culture  of  silk  a  difficult  and 
intricate  science.  I  see  no  more  difficulty  in  cultivating  the 
mulberry  than  any  other  fruit  tree  ;  and  the  art  of  raising 
silk  worms  seems  to  reduce  itself  to  a  few  simple  rules  easy 
of  observance.  I  know  but  of  one  European  author  who 
has  had  the  courage  to  break  through  the  fetters  of  habit  and 
prejudice  ;  and  in  a  late  work  on  the  culture  of  silk  published 
in  the  German  language  at  Vienna  in  1829,  adopted  what  I 
call  the  American  System,  the  same  wtyich  your  Manual 
recommends,  and  which  in  fact,  has  been  followed  in  this 
country  for  more  than  70  years.  The  author  is  the  Chdva- 
lier  von  Heint,  an  Austrian  nobleman,  the  owner  of  large 


PREFACE.  IX 

estates  in  the  imperial  dominions.  He  appears  to  have 
completely  succeeded,  by  following  this  simple  American 
method,  and  he  even  ventured  to  raise  silk  worms  on  mul- 
berry trees  in  the  open  air,  on  the  frontiers  of  Hungary,  in 
44g  N.  Lat. ;  and  he  assures  us  that  he  met  with  the  same 
success. 

On  the  subject  of  reeling  the  silk  from  the  cocoons,  I 
think  it  is  an  art  to  be  acquired  only  by  practical  instruc- 
tion and  experience.  It  is  not  to  be  learned  from  books 
alone.  The  description,  however,  which  you  have  given  of 
its  process,  is  in  general  correct,  and  has  been  with  propriety 
inserted.  It  may  lead  to  some  useful  experiments,  and  will 
diffuse,  at  least,  the  knowledge  of  the  theory  of  the  art. 
The  present  method  of  reeling  silk  in  Connecticut,  will  not 
be  long,  I  believe,  persevered  in,  after  a  better  one  shall 
have  been  generally  introduced.  It  is  well,  however,  to  record 
it  as  a  matter  of  fact,  and  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  still 
choose  to  pursue  it. 

Upon  the  whole,  I  consider  your  work  as  a  good  practical 
directory  for  American  farmers,  and  as  a  fair  and  judicious 
execution  of  the  duty  committed  to  you. 
I  am,  with  great  regard, 
Dear  Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

PETER  S.  Du  PONCEAU. 

JONATHAN  H.  COBB,  ESQ. 

New  York,  June  29,  1831. 

I  have  read  the  work  of  Mr  Jonathan  H.  Cobb  on  the  Cul- 
ture of  Silk,  which  is  intended  by  him  for  a  popular  manual 
of  instruction,  and  have  been  much  pleased  to  find  that  it 
unites  brevity  with  all  the  most  important  precepts  required 
in  that  valuable  branch  of  domestic  produce.  It  is  also  clear 
and  lucid,  and  free  of  all  accessary  details,  little  to  be  called 
for  within  the  short  period  of  time  necessary  to  make  a  silk 
crop.  It  is  evident  that  Mr  Cobb  has  been  many  years  a 
practical  culturist,  and  could  also  embrace  the  interesting 


X  PREFACE. 

cares  of  the  filature  even  further  than  that  of  making  market- 
able raw  silk,  which  is  not  frequently  attended  to  by  silk 
growers.  It  is  on  this  principle  only,  meaning  that  of  divid- 
ing among  various  branches,  hands  and  stages,  all  the 
operations  required  for  the  cultivation  and  manufacture  of  silk, 
that  national  wealth  from  this  rich  produce  can  be  depended 
upon.  One  only  individual  cannot  be  a  perfect  operative  in 
all  stages  and  divisions  of  the  art,  but  he  can  become  skilful 
in  many  or  several  of  them,  if  at  each  degree  he  command  a 
marketable  produce.  I  conclude  with  observing  that  the 
work  of  Mr  Jonathan  H.  Cobb  deserves  the  confidence  of 
the  public,  and  its  circulation  should  be  encouraged. 

FELIX  PASCALIS,  M.  D. 


PART    I. 


CULTURE  OF  THE  MULBERRY  TREE. 

THE  only  appropriate  food  for  the  silk  worm  is  the 
leaf  of  the  mulberry  tree.  It  should  be  the  first  busi- 
ness therefore  of  the  silk  grower  to  provide  himself  with 
the  source  of  a  constant  supply  of  mulberry  leaves. 
The  greater  his  supply  of  this  article,  the  greater  will  be 
his  crop  of  silk,  as  the  eggs  of  the  insect  are  procured 
to  any  amount  with  ease  and  cheapness.  Having  the 
eggs  of  the  insect  and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  food  at 
hand,  ordinary  care  on  the  part  of  the  proprietor  will  in- 
sure a  good  crop.  It  is  now  abundantly  proved  that 
there  is  no  great  obstacle  in  the  soil  or  climate  of  these 
United  States  to  raising  silk  to  a  vast  amount.  As  there 
is  a  difference  in  the  quality  of  the  mulberry  leaves  for 
raising  silk,  it  should  be  the  object  of  the  cultivator  to 
propagate  the  best  kind.  The  white  mulberry*  has 
been  found  superior  to  the  purple  or  native  red,f  and  the 
plants  are  easily  produced  from  the  seed. 

*See  the  leaf,  Fig.  1,  Plate-  2,  reduced  to  one  fourth  its  natural 
size, 
t  See  the  leaf,  Fig.  2,  Plate  2,  reduced  to  one  fifth  its  natural 


12 

THE    SEED    OF    THE    MULBERRY. 

One  ounce  of  good  seed  will  be  sufficient  to  produce 
5000  trees.  The  seed  is  easily  obtained  from  the  fruit 
in  the  following  manner.  When  the  fruit  begins  to  ripen, 
every  morning  the  tree  should  be  shaken  and  the  fruit 
that  falls  gathered  with  that  which  had  fallen  before;  if 
enough  is  not  gathered  in  one  morning,  several  succes- 
sive gatherings  may  be  collected  ;  but  the  fruit  should 
not  be  kept  over  three  or  four  days  before  the  seed  is 
extracted,  which  may  be  done  by  putting  the  fruit  into  a 
tub  and  mashing  it  till  the  berries  are  completely  worked 
into  a  common  mass.  Then  pour  water  into  it  and  stir  it 
briskly,  and  the  pulp  may  be  separated  from  the  seed. 
Then  pour  off  the  water,  with  all  the  seed  that  floats* 
(for  that  is  worthless)  and  renew  the  washing  till  the  seed 
is  clean,  when  it  may  be  drained,  spread  out  on  cloths 
and  dried  in  the  shade.  When  perfectly  dry  it  should 
be  put  into  a  tight  vessel  and  kept  in  a  dry  place.  It 
should  never  be  exposed  to  the  light,  air  or  dampness 
more  than  is  absolutely  necessary.  The  seed  may  be 
obtained  at  a  reasonable  rate  at  most  of  the  seed  stores, 
and"I  have  bought  it  in  Mansfield,  Conn,  at  the  rate  of 
a  dollar  per  pound. 

SOWING   THE    SEED,    CHOICE    OF    SOIL,    ETC. 

A  soil  rich,  warm  and  mixed  with  much  mold,  is  re- 
commended as  the  most  proper  fora  nursery  of  mulber- 
ry trees.  New  shoots  should  have  ground  easy  to  pen- 
etrate. The  ground  should  be  ploughed  the  preceding 


13 


fall,  and  again  ploughed  two  or  three  times  in  the  spring 
and  made  light  and  friable  ;  two  or  three  dressings  of 
manure  well  ploughed  in  would  be  of  essential  service ; 
the  ground  may  be  levelled  with  a  hoe  or  rake  and  the 
seed  sown  in  drills  about  the  first  of  May,  much  in  the 
same  way  as  our  farmers  sow  carrots.  The  weeds  must 
be  carefully  destroyed,  and  in  dry  times  watering  will  bet 
beneficial.  I  have  sown  the  mulberries  in  July,  and  they 
have  sprouted  and  come  on  rapidly  ;  but  the  frosts  of  win- 
ter in  our  climate  (New  England)  have  been  too  severe 
for  them.  I  would  recommend  to  sow  the  seed  in  the 
spring.  From  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  ground  the  last 
season,  I  had  over  10,000  plants,  produced  from  seed 
sown  in  the  spring  in  the  way  above-mentioned,  some  of 
them  upwards  of  a  foot  in  height.  Those  that  are  in- 
tended for  transplanting  may  be  taken  up  in  the  fall  and 
put  out  of  the  way  of  frost  in  a  cellar,  the  roots  being 
covered  with  loam.  Those  left  standing  may  be  covered 
with  light  manure  or  old  hay.  The  frost  will  be  apt  to 
kill  the  young  and  tender  tops,  but  the  shoots  will  start 
from  the  bottom  in  the  spring  with  great  luxuriance.  The 
seed  plant  is  undoubtedly  best,  both  for  food  for  worms 
and  duration  :  it  is  also  the  most  convenient  mode  of  get- 
ting the  trees,  as  seed  enough  can  be  sent  by  mail  to  any 
part  of  the  Union  to  produce  an  orchard  sufficient  to 
feed  several  millions  of  worms.  I  cannot  believe  that 
any  other  mode  can  be  pursued  to  much  advantage  in 
this  country ;  but  as  some  may  be  fond  of  trying  experi- 
ments in  other  modes  of  culture,  the  following  are  laid 
down  as  sometimes  used  in  Europe. 
2 


14 


MANNER  OF  MULTIPLYING  MULBERRY  TREES  BY 
CUTTINGS. 

The  soil  chosen  to  receive  the  slips  of  the  mulberry 
tree  should  be  prepared  much  in  the  same  way  as  ha 
been  described  for  the  seed.  The  cuttings  of  the  mul- 
berry are  to  be  planted  in  the  same  manner  as  the  cut- 
tings of  the  vine  ;  that  is,  by  making  furrows  by  a  line  at 
the  distance  of  six  feet  from  one  to  the  other,  and  by  cross- 
ing them  by  furrows  at  the  same  distance,  in  order  to 
form  squares.  A  two  year  old  branch  of  a  mulberry  tree, 
having  wood  of  four  or  five  years  at  one  end,  must  be 
selected,  and  the  extremity  of  the  old  wood  must  be  in- 
terred to  the  depth  of  about  ten  inches.  The  branches 
chosen  from  the  white  mulberry  must  be  taken  offin  the 
spring  at  the  first  rising  of  the  sap.  Two  or  three  incis- 
ions must  be  made  in  the  joints  or  knots  of  the  old  wood, 
because  this  operation  will  facilitate  the  shooting  of  the 
roots,  which  always  put  forth  from  the  joints  of  the  old 
wood.  The  cuttings  must  then  be  covered  with  a  well 
manured  and  friable  earth,  and  the  end  of  the  branch 
which  rises  from  the  soil  must  be  cut  off  at  the  third  bud 
from  the  surface.  If  rains  should  not  frequently  occur 
after  the  plantation  is  finished,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
water  the  plants  often.  The  multiplication  of  mulberry 
trees  by  means  of  cuttings  is  said  to  have  the  important 
advantage  of  two  years  in  advance  over  the  establishment 
of  a  nursery  by  means  of  seed  in  Europe. 

BY    LAYERS. 

To  make  layers  is  to  force  a  branch  or  a  shoot  of  a  tree 
or  of  a  shrub  to  become  itself  a  tree  or  a  shrub,  by  putting 


15 


a  branch  or  a  shool  into  the  ground  without  separating  it 
from  the  parent  tree.  The  spring  is  the  most  suitable 
season  for  this  operation.  The  shoots  which  arise  at  the 
foot  of  a  tree,  the  youngest  smooth  branches  found  about 
the  lower  part  of  the  mulberry,  any  other  branches  that 
are  long  and  supple  enough  to  be  secured  in  the  ground, 
and  lastly,  the  shoots  of  a  young  tree  whose  trunk  is  not 
high  and  which  may  be  laid  easily,  may  be  used.  If  there 
arise  some  vigorous  shoots  at  the  foot  of  a  mulberry  tree, 
a  hole  must  be  dug  six  or  eight  inches  deep  near  each 
shoot,  into  which  the  shoot  must  be  laid  without  twisting 
it  or  separating  it  from  the  tree.  It  is  then  to  be  secur- 
ed in  its  place  with  crotchets  of  wood  and  covered  with 
good  mould,  which  must  be  pressed  over  it,  and  the  end 
of  the  shoot  which  rises  above  the  ground  must  be  cut  oft 
above  the  second  bud.  It  will  be  further  necessary  to 
place  by  the  side  of  the  layer  a  stake  to  mark  the  place 
and  prevent  its  being  trodden.  It  must  likewise  be  wa- 
tered immediately  after  the  operation,  and  as  often  after- 
wards as  may  be  necessary  to  maintain  about  it  a  proper 
state  of  moisture. 

The  young  and  smooth  twigs  among  the  branches  of 
the  mulberry  may  be  passed  through  a  basket  or  vase 
perforated  at  the  bottom  and  filled  with  earth  well  manur- 
ed. The  twig  must  be  cut  off  four  or  five  inches  above 
the  vase  or  basket,  and  the  mould  kept  in  a  due  state  of 
moisture  by  frequent  waterings. 

When  a  mulberry  tree  is  well  spread  and  the  boughs 
nearest  the  ground  have  not  been  lopped,  some  of  the 
branches  at  the  distance  of  six  feet  from  each  other  may 
be  bent  down  and  secured  in  the  ground,  so  that  the  ends 
shall  not  rise  more  than  six  or  eight  inches  above  the 
surface. 


16 


All  the  layers  made  in  these  different  ways  may  be 
separated  from  the  parent  tree  in  the  autumn  of  the  sec- 
ond year.  They  may  be  cut  off  four  inches  from  the 
parent  trunk,  be  taken  up  carefully  with  their  roots  and 
small  fibres  and  placed  in  the  nursery  or  permanently 
established  in  an  orchard.  In  the  nursery  they  may  be 
set  at  the  distance  of  six  feet  from  each  other  and  in  the 
following  year,  by  heading  them  down,  four  or  five  layers 
may  be  made  from  each.  By  these  means  one  hundred 
trees  may  be  increased  in  four  years  to  eighteen  hundred ; 
for  the  parent  trees,  after  the  layers  are  separated  from 
them  being  replaced  in  a  straight  position,  secured  to  a 
prop,  manured,  and  watered,  generally  retrieve  their 
Strength  and  make  productive  trees. 

TRANSPLANTING    FOR    HEDGES. 

After  standing  in  the  nursery  a  suitable  time,  the  trees 
may  be  transplanted  for  making  hedges.  Fprefer  trans- 
planting in  the  spring.  Great  care  should  be  taken  to 
preserve  the  very  fine  roots.  If  hedges  for  fences  be  want- 
ed, the  young  trees  mayjbe  taken  from  the  seedlings  of  the 
last  year.  The  white  mulberry  forms  an  excellent  live 
fence,  and  when  once  established  is  probably  the  most 
permanent  of  any  other  Cattle  must  not  be  allowed 
free  access  to  the  hedge  while  young,  as  they  would  de- 
stroy it  altogether ;  but  after  it  has  become  a  good  fence 
they  may  approach  it  with  advantage.  The  more  it  is 
broken  and  lacerated  by  cattle,  the  more  impenetrable  it 
will  become ;  as  for  every  branch  broken,  a  half  dozen 
shoots  will  immediately  start  out,  till  the  bush  forms  a 
perfect  bramble.  This  mode  is  therefore  recommended 


17 


as  accomplishing  three  important  objects :  supplying  food 
for  silk  worms ;  keeping  the  trees  low,  that  the  leaves  may 
be  gathered  from  the  ground  by  children,  and  furnishing 
a  good  and  almost  never  ending  fence.  In  transplanting 
young  trees  for  hedges,  they  should  not  be  pruned  ;  but 
the  second  year  or  at  least  the  third,  the  tops  should  be 
cut  off  and  the  side  branches  trained  laterally  with  the 
hedge  by  interweaving  them. 

• 

SETTING  OUT  STANDARD  TREES. 

It  is  an  axiom  in  rural  economy,  that  the  greater  the 
disbursement  in  improving  the  land  the  greater  will  be 
the  proportional  income.  The  land  where  the  trees  are 
to  be  set,  will  be  much  better  for  the  purpose  if  ploughed, 
harrowed  and  manured.  The  trees  may  be  three  years 
old  if  taken  from  a  rich  soil,  or  four  if  from  a  poor  soil ; 
they  should  be  from  four  to  eight  feet  in  height,  and  at 
least  an  inch  in  diameter.  The  holes  should  be  dug  at 
about  the  same  distance  from  each  other  as  for  setting 
apple  trees,  and  be  made  eighteen  inches  deep  and  three 
or  four  feet  in  diameter.  The  bottoms  of  these  holes 
may  be  covered  with  a  few  inches  of  fresh  mould.  The, 
young  tree  should  be  placed  in  its  proper  range,  ascer- 
tained by  a  stake  at  each  extremity  of  the  line,  and  it 
should  be  held  there  till  its  roots  are  well  covered  with 
friable  and  well  manured  earth,  free  from  stones,  and 
must  be  well  trodden  down  and  watered  if  necessary  5 
a  small  cavity  round  the  stem  to  retain  the  rain  is  very 
proper.  Two  or  three  dressings  a  year  with  a  hoe"  and 
manuring  occasionally  rqay  be  of  essential  advantage, 
2* 


18 


GRAFTING    AND    BUDDING. 

In  grafting  it  is  essential  to  adapt  the  bark  of  the  scion 
at  its  extremity  to  the  bark  of  the  stock,  and  to  place  the 
scion  on  the  northerly  side  in  order  that  it  may  be  less  ex- 
posed to  be  withered  and  dried  by  the  sun.  Budding 
should  be  performed  with  the  same  care  as  in  other  fruit 
trees  in  order  to  insure  success.  But  these  and  many  of 
the  modes  of  improving  and  propagating  the  mulberry 
which  have  been  resorted  to  in  Europe,  will  be  unne- 
cessary in  this  country.  With  us,  land  is  so  cheap  and 
labor  so  high,  that  the  easy  and  convenient  mode  of  pro- 
pagating by  seed  will  be  chiefly  resorted  to,  and  no  es- 
sential permanent  advantage  will  result  to  us  from  graft- 
ing or  budding,  except  in  propagating^the  rare  varieties. 

PRUNING. 

The  imperfections  in  the  form  and  growth  of  the  trees 
may  be  remedied  by  a  judicious  pruning,  once  in  two 
or  three  years ;  and  with  regard  to  that,  the  good  sense 
of  every  cultivator  will  direct  him  how  to  form  a  tree  the 
most  beautiful,  as  well  as  the  most  productive.  June  is 
the  best  season  for  doing  this,  and  the  young  branches 
that  are  taken  off  will  afford  their  leaves  for  the 


*  For  taking  off  the  small  branches  oHarger  trees  which  could 
not  be  reached  by  hand,  I  saw  an  ingenious  contrivance  at  Balti- 
more by  G.  B.  Smith,  Esq.  It  was  nothing  more  than  a  pair  of 
pruning  shears  attached  by  one  of  the  handles  to  a  ten  foot  pole, 
which  is  held  in  one  hand,  and  operated  upon  by  means  of  a  cord 
passing  through  a  pulley,  and  attached  to  the  other  handle  with  the 


19 


GROWTH    OF     THE    MULBERRY   TREE. 

Standard  trees,  when  once  well  rooted,  will  thrive  in 
any  soil  that  is  not  too  wet ;  the  gigantic  size  to  which 
the  wild  native  mulberry  attains  in  the  western  country, 
and  numerous  examples  of  large  and  thrifty  trees  in  the 
Atlantic  states,  furnish  abundant  evidence  of  this.  The 
mulberry  tree  attains  to  a  very  great  age,  and  no  other 
tree  of  equal  growth  and  beauty  resists  so  well  the  influ- 
ences of  the  sea  atmosphere.  Two  or  three  grand 
specimens  of  this  beautiful  tree,  says  Mr  Phillips,  stand- 
ing on  the  most  exposed  situation  of  the  northeast 
coast  of  England >  not  only  defy  the  enemy,  but  delight 
intheir  situation  :  throwing  out  their  noble  limbs  in  all 
directions,  and  assuming  a  foliage  rich,  full,  and  tufted 
to  its  topmost  boughs :  one  of  them  is  of  the  greatest 
magnitude,  though  some  of  its  vast  limbs  have  been  torn 
from  it ;  it  is  still  in  vigor,  and  in  point  of  richness  of 
effect,  the  oak  itself  is  scarcely  superior.  They  are 
abundantly  prolific.  The  red,  or,  as  it  is  more  commonly 
called,  the  purple  mulberry,  is  considered  as  the  only 
species  indigenous  in  this  country.*  The  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Lake  Champlain  is,  according  to  Michaux,  its 
most  northern  limit.  It  is  found  in  all  the  states  of  the 
Union,  south  and  west,  and  Dr  James  found  it  as  far 
west  as  the  river  Canadian. 

Everything  is  useful  in  the  mulberry  tree.     Its  leaves 

other  hand  ;  by  this  simple  contrivance  the  twigs  and  branches 
were  taken  off  with  ease,  and  so  smoothly  as  not  to  lacerate  the 
bark  and  injure  the  appearance  of  the  tree. 

*  See  the  leaf  in  Figure  2,  Plate  2. 


are  valuable  in  the  silk  which  they  produce  by  nourishing 
the  silk  worm  ;  its  fruit  is  excellent  for  poultry,  and  the 
wood  is  useful  for  the  joiner  and  for  fuel.  The  mul- 
berry tree  may  also  serve  as  an  ornament  to  our  gardens 
and  streets,  very  different  from  the  Lornbardy  poplar, 
which  harbors  a  loathsome  insect,  or  the  elm,  or  the  ash, 
which  are  barren  and  do  not  afford  so  thick  a  shade  ;  and 
as  this  tree  is  always  handsome  and  useful,  the  Author  of 
nature  has  been  pleased  to  add  cleanliness,  as  on  account 
of  the  acrid  bitterness  of  its  sap  but  few  insects  will  har- 
bor upon  it. 

The  first  mulberry  tree  that  was  planted  in  Franca 
was  near  Montelimart,  and  nearly  three  centuries  after 
(in  1802)  the  original  tree  was  still  in  existence. 

In  England  it  was  first  planted  in  the  year  1548  ;  Mr 
Phillips  saw  at  Sion  House  the  original  trees.  He  found 
their  interior  so  decayed  that  the  timber  crumbled  on 
being  touched  :  the  propped  branches  were  nevertheless 
so  well  nourished,  that  the  fruit  and  foliage  were  not  in- 
ferior to  those  of  the  youngest  trees.  Of  the  plantations 
formed  during  the  reign  of  James  I.  many  venerable 
remains  are  still  seen  in  England.  Mr  Phillips  found  a 
black  mulberry  tree  in  a  garden  adjoining  Greenwich 
Park,  which  is  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  oldest  in 
England.  '  It  throws  out,' says  Mr  P.,  *  ten  large  branch- 
es so  near  the  earth,  that  it  has  the  appearance  of  half  a 
score  of  large  trees  rather  than  one,  and  notwithstanding 
many  of  the  projecting  branches  have  been  sawed  off,  it 
completely  covers  a  circumference  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet ;  and  although  the  elder  trees  have  fixed  their 
abode  in  some  parts  of  the  trunk  and  other  parts  are 
covered  with  ivy,  it  continues  to  give  shoots  as  vigorous 


as  the  youngest  tree  and  produces  the  finest  mulberries 
in  England.  It  is  a  regular  bearer,  and  the  gardener 
assured  me  that  he  gathered  more  than  eighty  quarts  per 
day  during  the  season. 

THE  CHINESE  MULBERRY. 

Besides  the  varieties  of  the  mulberry  tree  heretofore 
mentioned,  there  is  one,  which,  if  we  may  believe  the 
recommendations  of  it,  is  superior  to  all  others  for  the 
culture  of  silk  :  I  mean  the  Chinese  mulberry.* 

The  following  account  of  it  I  derive  from  the  second 
No.  of  the  Silk  Culturist,  a  valuable  and  useful  work, 
published  by  Dr  Felix  Pascalis,  of  New  York.  It  is  con- 
tained in  a  letter  to  the  author  from  Havre. 

*  Samuel  Perrottet,  a  member  of  the  Linnasan  Society 
of  Paris,  employed  by  government  as  a  travelling  botanist, 
returned  to  this  port  after  a  voyage  of  thirtyfour  months. 
He  brought  with  him  eightyfour  boxes  of  various  dimen- 
sions, containing  one  hundred  and    fiftyeight  species  of 
living  plants,  of  at  least  eight  feet  in  height,  to  the  quanti- 
ty of  five  hundred  and  thirtyfour  individuals.     All  these 
productions  had  been   procured  in  the  seas  of  Asia,  or 
gathered  on  the  coast  or  in  the  lands  of  Cayena.     From 
the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  there  had  nev- 
er before  been  so  vast  an  importation  —  one  so  extensive 
in  number,  for  rare    genera,  species    and  families,   and 
vegetable  productions,  or  of  their  seeds.     All  of  them 
passed  under  my  examination,  and  they  rather  appeared 

«  to  have   come   out  of  a  green  house  than  from  a  ship. 

*  See  the  leaf  in  Fig.  3,  Plate  2,  reduced  to  one  twelfth  of  its 
natural  size. 


c  In  this  immense  collection  was  the  Morus  multicaulis, 
thus  called  by  Perroltet,  for  the  first  time  ascertained  to 
be  the  real  Chinese  mulberry,  Morus  alba  sinensis,  of 
which  every  silk  grower  and  culturist  should  endeavor 
to  multiply  the  species.  It  has  been  deposited  in  the 
Royal  Garden.  Monsieur  Perrottet  says  that  it  grows 
with  many  shoots  from  the  roots,  with  tender  stems  and 
large  foliage,  of  a  much  more  nourishing  nature  than  the 
European  mulberry. 

4  Chinese  inhabitants  assured  him,  that  to  this  tree 
the  disciples  of  Confucius  are  indebted  for  the  prosper- 
ity and  solidity  of  their  empire. 

1  The  Morus  multicaulis  is  already  propagating  in 
many  parts  of  France-,  and  probably  will  be  substituted 
and  preferred  to  all  the  other  varieties.  Among  the 
other  qualities  of  the  plant,  it  is  affirmed  in  China  that  a 
less  quantity  of  this  foliage  is  required  for  the  precious 
insects  than  of  that  which  we  are  obliged  to  provide  for 
them.  Monsieur  P.  has  left  the  tree  in  Cayena,  where 
it  is  now  flourishing  in  dry  and  barren  soils.5 

I  have  received  half  a  dozen  shrubs  from  Mr 
Prince's  Nursery  on  Long  Island,  which  comprise  six 
different  varieties  of  the  mulberry,  one  of  which  is  the 
Morus  multicaulis,  and  Mr  Prince  writes  to  me  that 
he  has  them  for  sale.*  During  my  late  visit  to 

*  I  have  seen  a  few  of  the  plants  of  the  Morus  multicaulis  in  the 
Kenrick  Nurser)r  at  Newton,  which  were  transplanted  from  Mr 
Prince's  the  present  season,  and  are  now  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
Our  nurserymen  will  find  it  for  their  interest  to  propagate  this 
plant  as  extensively  as  they  can  for  the  present,  by  inoculation  and 
grafting. 


23 

Madame  Parmentier's  Nursery  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  I 
saw  several  hundred  of  these  plants  which  looked  very 
thrifty,  bore  very  large  leaves,  seemed  to  take  well  to  the 
soil,  and  grow  with  uncommon  rapidity.  1  picked  sev- 
eral leaves  from  them,  each  of  which  more  than  covered 
the  crown  of  my  hat.  The  leaves  were  given  to  the  silk 
worms  in  my  presence  and  were  devoured  by  them  with 
great  avidity.  This  lady  has  also  twelve  different  varie- 
ties of,  the  mulberry  in  her  nursery,  but  this  seems  to  be 
fast  taking  the  place  of  all  others. 

Mr  Richard  K.  Haight,  an  intelligent  merchant  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  has  one  hundred  of  these  plants, 
which  were  imported  from  France  the  present  season, 
which  I  saw  in  his*  nursery  at  Brooklyn  in  a  flourishing 
condition.  He  has  also  some  Chinese  mulberry  trees  of 
a  different  character,  which  he  has  imported  with  great 
care  and  which  may  prove  upon  experiment  to  be  valu- 
able. I  have  brought  this  valuable  plant  into  Massachu- 
setts and  intend  to  inoculate  some  thousands  of  the  com- 
mon white  in  my  nursery  with  buds  the  present  season 
if  possible. 

The  following  statistics  of  a  mulberry  orchard  of 
two  acres,  are  by  the  late  Andrew  Parmentier,  Esq.  of 
New  York  : 

650  standard  trees  in  the  low  parts  of  the  ground,  each 

20  feet  apart* 

250  standard  trees  on  the  rising  places,  12  feet  apart. 
650  dwarf  trees  on  suitable  portions  of  the  ground. 

3550 

This  ground  to  be  fenced  by  mulberry  hedges.  The 
purchase  money  for  about  two  acres,  with  cost  of  manure 
and  necessary  tillage,  is  estimated  at  $500. 


24 


Supposing  that  to  secure  full  success  to  this  orchard 
by  using  none  of  the  foliage,  and  tilling  and  replacing 
dead  trees  during  five  years,  counting  loss  of  interest 
and  other  expenses  accruing,  we  have  an  increase  of 
debt  of  $375,  and  a  capital  of  $881  ;  but  commenc- 
ing from  the  fifth  year  up  to  the  twentieth  of  its  existence, 
the  author  of  these  statistics  forms  three  different  periods 
of  five  years  each.  The  plantation  will  give  in  the  first 
period  from  90  to  95  quintals  of  foliage,  that  is,  9000  Ibs. 
or  fodder  for  five  ounces  of  worm  seeds ;  35  pounds  of 
silk,'about  $180,  that  is,  20  per  cent  on  $881.  The 
second  period  will  annually  afford  for  fourteen  ounces, 
15,000  quintals  or  95  Ibs.  of  silk,  equal  to  47  per'cent  on 
$881.  But  the  third  period  to  the  twentieth  year  of 
age  of  the  orchard,  from  500  to  650  quintals  may  be 
expected,  which  will  feed  28  ounces  and  give  196  Ibs. 
of  silk,  worth  nearly  $  1 000,  or  more  than  112  per  cent. 

Admitting  however  that  each  crop  of  silk  costs  some 
expense,  which  in  no  way  whatever  could  be  one  quar- 
ter or  one  third  the  profits,  these  latter  are  so  secured 
and  so  considerable,  that  the  undertaking  would  prove 
in  the  highest  degree  useful  and  profitable. 


PART   II. 


ON  REARING  SILK  WORMS. 

THE  silk  insect  affords  a  display  of  the  wisdom  of 
Divine  Providence  in  the  adaptation  of  means  to  ends, 
calculated  to  excite  high  interest  and  admiration. 

The  extraordinary  effect  produced  by  this  little  ani- 
mal in  the  short  space  of  six  weeks  is  no  less  than  the 
conversion  of  the  vegetable  substance  of  the  mulberry 
leaf  into  threads  of  rich  and  durable  silk.  Well  might  the 
Emperor  Justinian  be  astonished  to  find  that  the  rich  and 
beautiful  material  of  his  magnificent  robes  was  first  pro- 
duced and  worn  by  this  feeble  insect  ;  and  well  might 
he  repay  with  munificence  the  monks  by  whose  exertions 
the  eggs  of  the  silk  worm  were  smuggled  in  a  hollow 
cane  from  India  to  Constantinople.  This  hollow  cane 
was  the  ark  whence  came  out  the  germ  of  those  numer- 
ous tribes  of  this  insect  which  have  spread  over  the  whole 
of  Europe,  and  whose  descendants  are  now  fast  settling 
in  these  United  States.  Let  us  commence  with  the  eggs 
of  this  insect,  and  trace  its  operations,  its  wants,  and  va- 
rious changes,  till  it  forms  the  cocoon,  from  which  pro- 
ceeds the  moth,  which  in  its  turn  produces  the  egg. 
3 


THE    EGGS. 

The  eggs  are  of  small  size.*  When  first  laid,  they 
are  of  a  pale  yellow  color,  but  in  three  or  four  days  turn 
to  a  light  slate  color,  and  subsequently  to  a  dull  brownish 
slate  color.  Those  which  remain  yellow  have  not  been 
fecundated,  and  of  course  are  worthless.  The  most 
proper  place  for  keeping  the  eggs  until  they  are  wanted 
for  hatching  is  a  dry  cellar.  They  should  be  kept  in  a 
tight  box,  to  protect  them  from  mice  or  insects,  and  dry, 
so  that  the  mould  and  mildew  may  not  injure  them. 

THE    HATCHING,    LEAVES,    ETC.     . 

The  advance  of  the  season  determines  the  time  of 
hatching  the  eggs.  As  soon  as  the  leaf  of  the  mulberry 
begins  to  unfold  —  which  is  generally  in  this  climate  (New 
England,)  the  latter  part  of  May  —  and  you  observe 
that  there  is  a  prospect  of  having  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
food,  it  is  time  to  expose  the  eggs  to  hatch.  No  other 
process  is  necessary  than  to  expose  them  to  the  air  in  a 
room ;  they  hatch  voluntarily  in  a  day  or  two  after  the 
exposure.  Various  modes  are  adopted  in  Europe  — 
hatching  them  in  ovens,  carrying  them  about  the  person, 
&ic,  —  but  nothing  of  that  kind  is  necessary  here. 

It  is  best  to  preserve  those  insects  for  rearing,  that 
come  out  as  nearly  at  the  same  time  as  possible.  As 
soon  as  the  worms  begin  to  appear,f  lay  over  them  young 
and  tender  mulberry  leaves  ;  they  will  soon  attach  them- 
selves to  the  leaves  and  by  taking  hold  of  the  stems  of  the 

*Vide  Figure  1,   Plate  1. 
t  See  Figure  2,    Plate  1. 


27 


leaves  you  may  remove  them  easily.  They  ought  now 
to  be  supplied  with  fresh  tender  leaves  three  times  a 
day.  As  the  leaves  when  very  young  will  dry  so  much  in 
a  short  time  if  exposed  to  the  air  as  to  be  unfit  for  use, 
you  may  put  them  in  a  glazed  vessel  or  keep  them  cover- 
ed in  a  cellar  or  cool  place ;  by  which  means  the  leaves 
may  be  kept  good  for  two  or  three  days.*  Besides,  it  is 
well  to  have  always  in  your  house  at  a  time,  a  stock  of 
leaves  sufficient  at  least  for  three  days'  provision  for  your 
worms  in  case  of  wet  weather.  If  leaves  are  given  when 
wet  they  will  cause  disease.  Be  careful  never  to  pull  the 
leaves  when  wet,  either  with  rain  or  dew,  except  on  abso- 
lute necessity,  and  in  that  case  you  must  spread  them  and 
turn  them,  that  the  leaves  may  be  perfectly  dry  before  you 
give  them  to  the  worms ;  rats,  mice,  spiders,  ants  and 
fowls  are  very  destructive  to  the  worms ;  care  must  be 
taken  therefore  to  keep  them  out  of  the  way  of  all  such 
enemies. 

THE  NURSERY,  SHELVES,  ETC. 

In  Europe  laboratories  have  been  constructed  with 
great  care  and  expense ;  but  however  convenient  these 
may  be,  they  are  by  no  means  necessary  to  success  in 
rearing  silk  worms  ;  almost  any  building  will  answer  for 
that  purpose.  I  have  reared  them  myself  with  success  in 
a  barn,  in  my  cellar  kitchen,  and  other  rooms  of  my 
dwelling-house,  and  in  the  lower  story  of  Tremont  House 

*  Mr  D'H.  proposes  the  following  method  to  preserve  leaves : 
Put  them  under  cover  on  a  brick  pavement,  or  gravelled  floor; 
turn  them  over  and  place  them  further  where  it  is  not  damp  (for 
they  always  leave  a  dampness  where  they  lie)  three  or  four  times 
a  day  or  an  hour  before  you  feed  the  worms;  you  may  thus  keep 
them  three  or  four  days.  The  leaf  wants  air  to  keep  fresh. 


28 


in  Boston.  It  was  found  in  France  that  the  cocoons 
brought  to  market  by  the  peasants,  raised  in  hovels  so 
full  of  cracks  as  easily  to  be  seen  through  and  to  admit 
the  air  freely,  were  richer  and  heavier  than  those  reared  in 
palaces  and  in  the  confined  rooms  of  dwellings  in  cities.* 
The  apparatus  of  the  Rev.  Mr  Swain,  I  should  think  might 
be  worth  adopting,  for  those  who  are  beginning  on  a  small 
scale ;  in  fact  I  have  had  something  like  it  constructed 
for  my  own  use.  This  apparatus  consists  of  a  wooden 
frame,  four  feet  two  inches  high,  each  side  ;  sixteen  inches 
and  a  half  wide,  divided  into  eight  partitions  by  small 
pieces  of  wood,  which  form  grooves  in  which  the  slides 
run,  and  are  thus  easily  thrust  in  or  drawn  out  of  the  frame. 
The  upper  slide  is  of  paper  only  and  designed  to  re- 
ceive the  worms  as  scon  as  hatched  ;  the  others  are  of 
wicker  work,  the  opening  being  about  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  square  ;  under  each  of  these  are  slides.  This  occu- 
pies little  space  and  is  neat,  and  the  persons  using  it  can 
easily  remove  the  litter.  I  have  used  three  tiers  of  rough 
pine  boards  fixed  upon  upright  posts,  about  four  feet  in 
width,  one  above  the  other,  with  a  space  between  of  two 

*  I  saw  at  Philadelphia  on  the  21st  of  June  last,  worms  raised  by 
Mr  D'Homergue  in  a  yard  of  mulberry  trees,  which  bore  heavy 
rains  and  thunder  storms,  as  well  as  cold  windy  days,  a  few  of 
which  spun  in  30  days  and  produced  excellent  cocoons.  They 
began  to  mount  32  days  after  hatching.  I  also  saw  a  few  worms 
raised  from  eggs  which  were  laid  on  the  outside  of  a  brick  wall  in 
a  northern  exposure,  which  had  stood  all  the  severity  of  the  winter. 
I  saw  many  thousands  of  excellent  cocoons  raised  by  Mr  Du  Pon- 
ceau under  the  care  of  Mr  D'Homergue  in  the  heart  of  the  city 
of  Philadelphia.  I  tried  some  on  trees  in  the  open  air  the  present 
season,  but  they  did  not  succeed  ;  they  obtained  however  to  a  con- 
siderable size,  but  the  frequent  rains  destroyed  them. 


29 

and  a  half  feet,  affording  room  sufficient  to  pass  all  round 
the  frame,  so  that  I  could  conveniently  reach  any  part  of 
it.  In  making  the  shelves,  it  is  well  to  have  the  lowest 
one  six  inches  broader  than  the  one  above  it,  and  to 
make  the  same  difference  in  the  other  shelves  above,  so 
as  to  break  the  fall  of  such  worms  as  happen  to  tumble 
down.  A  good  form  for  the  shelves  is  that  adopted  by 
Mr  J.  Y.  Tomkins  of  Baltimore,  and  which  I  saw  in 
the  nursery  of  Gideon  B.  Smith,  Esq.  of  that  place. 
It  is  about  2  J  feet  wide,  by  five  or  six  long,  made  of  thin 
boards,  with  a  piece  two  inches  wide  nailed  flat  on  the 
upper  edge  along  the  sides  and  ends,  with  legs  about  a 
foot  long  in  the  corners.  The  legs  do  not  pass  through 
the  table,  but  leave  a  part  of  the  hole  on  the  upper  side 
for  the  feet  of  another  table  to  set  in.  Thus  contrived 
five  or  six  of  these  tables  are  set  one  above  another,  and 
are  taken  down,  cleaned  and  again  set  up  with  facility. 
One  of  these  shelves  will  accommodate  500  worms.* 
It  might  be  as  well  to  put  old  newspapers  on  the  shelves, 
which  might  be  taken  off  whenever  it  was  necessary  to 
clean  the  worms,  and  then  replaced.  —  Thus  I  have  done. 

THE    DIFFERENT    AGES,    MOULTING,    ETC. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  silk  worms.f  The  most 
common  varieties  change  their  skins  four  different  times. 
These  changes  are  called  moultings,  and  the  intervening 

*  Farmers,  however,  who  would  make  it  profitable,  should  raise 
one  or^two  hundred  thousand,  and  rough  boards  will  make  the 
cheapest  and  most  ready  shelves  for  use  on  an  extensive  scale. 

t  I  saw  in  the  Nursery  of  Gideon  B.  Smith,  Esq.  of  Baltimore 
four  different  varieties.  I  would  recommend,  as  most  profitable 
for  rearing,  the  large  white. 

3* 


30 


times  the  different  ages.  The  time  requisite  for  the 
several  changes  depends  greatly  on  the  temperature. 
If  the  weather  is  warm,  they  will  generally  happen  as 
follows  :  the  first  moulting  on  the  fourth  or  fifth  day  after 
the  hatching  ;  the  second  begins  on  the  eighth  day  ;  the 
third  on  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  days,  and  the  last 
change  on  the  twentysecond. 

The  fifth  age  lasts  about  ten  days  ;  at  the  end  of  which 
the  worms  have  reached  their  ultimate  growth,  being 
three  inches  in  length,*  and  are  prepared  to  spin  their 
cocoons.  Thus  thirtytwo  days  intervene  between  the 
hatching  and  the  beginning  of  the  cocoon,  and  I  have 
known  the  period  retarded  to  sixty  days.  These  changes 
will  only  be  noticed  by  accurate  observers. 

FEEDING,    CLEARING    THE   LITTER,    ETC. 

Too  many  leaves  should  not  be  given  to  them  at  once, 
and  the  leaves  given  should  be  spread  very  thin,  because 
if  put  on  too  thick,  a  great  nufhberof  the  worms  when 
small  will  run  the  risk  of  being  lost  and  carried  out  among 
the  litter.  When  the  worms  are  in  the  first  age,  you  need 
only  clean  the  litter  once  or  twice,  as  you  find  it  neces- 
sary. During  the  whole  of  the  first  age,  the.leaves  of  the 
young  plants  of  the  mulberry,  as  being  the  tenderest, 
are  preferable  to  the  leaves  of  older  trees  for  the  food  of 
the  young  worms.  It  is  well  therefore  to  sow  some  mul- 
berry seed  every  year  so  as  to  have  a  succession  of  young 
plants.  During  the  temporary  sickness  produced 

*  See  Figures,  2,  3,  4,  5,  or  the  different  appearance  of  the  in- 
sect in  its  different  ages. 


31 


by  the  changing  of  the  skin  they  should  be  fed  with  a 
very  sparing  hand.  The  signs  by  which  it  is  known  that 
worms  are  sick  and  about  to  change  their  skins,  are  these  : 
they  hold  their  heads  up,  are  motionless  and  appear  to 
sleep ;  —  this  should  be  noticed. 

During  the  second  age  it  is  advisable  still  to  continue  to 
feed  your  worms  with  leaves  from  the  young  plants,  as 
they  are  still  preferable  for  them.  You  must  now  begin 
to  be  attentive  to  clear  away  the  litter  from  time  to  time, 
so  as  to  prevent  all  danger  from  its  heating,  which  proves 
highly  injurious,  though  some  people  never  clear  away 
the  litter  at  all.  These  insects  are  remarkably  fond  of 
cleanliness,  which  besides  helps  to  enliven  them  and 
gives  them  a  keen  appetite  for  the  leaves  that  are  given 
them.  The  litter  is  taken  away  in  the  following  manner  ; 
you  scatter  some  fresh  leaves  upon  one  corner  of  the  shelf, 
to  which  the  worms  having  attached  themselves,  which 
they  will  readily  do,  you  thentake  up  the  worms  by  means 
of  the  leaves  and  stalks  they  cling  to,  leaving  the  litter 
underneath.  Having  thus  taken  up  all  the  worms  from 
that  corner  and  placed  them  in  a  clean  place,  you  then 
clear  away  the  litter  from  that  corner  and  carefully  sweep 
together  with  a  little  broom  or  wing  all  the  dirt,  which 
you  remove  entirely  :  you  then  remove  the  worms  next 
adjoining  to  the  clean  place  thus  prepared  and  put  them 
into  it ;  in  this  manner  you  proceed  with  the  rest.* 

During  the   third   age   the  full   grown   leaves  of  the 

*  If  the  worms  are  laid  on  a  newspaper,  it  is  easy  to  take  out  the 
newspaper,  lay  it  on  a  table,  and  transport  the  worms,  who  generally 
adhere  to  the  leaves  and  branches,  to  another  newspaper,  which  is 
put  on  the  shelf  after  sweeping  it.  The  litter  on  the  other  one  may 
then  be  thrown  away. 


largest  trees  may  be  given  —  though  it  would  be  well  to 
reserve  the  largest  and  toughest  leaves  till  the  last  age, 
when  they  are  the  most  voracious.  During  the  third 
age,  the  litter  should  be  removed  at  least  three  or  four 
times ;  worms  that  die  or  appear  to  be  diseased  should 
be  immediately  removed. 

The  same  treatment  will  be  required  during  the  fourth 
and  fifth  ages  as  in  the  preceding.  As  they  advance  in 
age  the  greater  will  be  the  proportion  of  food  required  and 
the  oftener  the  litter  must  be  removed  ;  by  these  means 
the  process  is  sooner  brought  to  a  conclusion,  and  the 
worms  always  kept  in  high  health  and  appetite.  During 
the  four  or  five  days  previous  to  their  rising,  the  worms 
consume  an  incredible  quantity  of  leaves,  eating  with 
great  voracity,  and  at  this  time  the  labor  of  tending  them 
is  most  fatiguing.  You  will  know  when  the  worms  are  ripe 
or  ready  to  rise  and  form  their  cocoons  by  observing  them 
with  attention  when  you  give  fresh  leaves.  Those  that 
are  ripe,  instead  of  eating,  avoid  the  fresh  leaves,  and  run 
over  them  as  fast  as  they  can  wander  about,  and  try  to 
climb ;  they  will  look  transparent,  of  the  color  of  a  green 
gage  plum,  and  somewhat  diminished  in  size. 

In  the  fifth  age  the  worms  should  have  new  leaves  as 
often  as  the  old  ones  are  consumed,  until  they  are  observ- 
ed to  creep  on  the  leaves  without  eating.  At  night  they 
should  have  a  double  portion. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  COCOONS. 

Previous  to  the  rising  of  the  worms,  some  little  arches 
or  cabins  should  have  been  prepared  of  brushwood  or 
broom  corn,  by  setting  their  branches  with  their  top 


33 


spread,  pressing;  against  the  bottom  of  the  upper  shelf  to 
hold  them  in  their  position.  The  worms  will  readily  find 
and  climb  these  little  trees  and  spin  their,  cocoons  in 
them  ;  the  worms  will  be  three  or  four  days  spinning 
their  cocoons,*  and  they  will  all  generally  be  finished  in 
eight  days.  The  brush  may.  then  be  taken  down,  the 
cocoons  taken  off,  cleared  ofthe  loose  tow  and  prepared 
for  reeling.  I  have  found  that  the  branches  of  the  oak, 
with  the  leaves  on.  answered  the  purpose  for  these  arches 
very  well,  as  the  leaves  are  strong  and  do  not  crumble 
in  taking  off  the  silk.  They  should  be  cut  some  days 
before  hand,  and  be  dry  when  used.  Some  prefer  to 
have  the  brushwood,  entirely  stripped  of  its  leaves.  Mr 
Smith,  of  Baltimore,  uses  and  recommends  the  broom 
corn. 

SEED    COCOONS. 

Those  cocoons  that  are  intended  for  seed  may  be 
stripped  of  their  tow  and  strung  upon  a  thread  —  care  be- 
ing taken  not  to  pierce  entirely  through  the  cocoons  —  and 

*  Dr  Pascalis  of  New  York,  a  gentleman  of  great  literary  reputation 
and  high  scientific  attainments,  has  by  the  use  of  Electricity  been'en- 
abled  to  hasten  the  progress  of  silk  insects  ;  and  worms  reared  by 
him,  to  which  this  powerful  agent  was  applied,  have  spun  their 
cocoons  in  27  days  from  the  time  Ihey  were  hatched.  I  have 
never  made  any  experiments  in  this  way  myself,  but  doubt  not 
that  this,  as  well  as  many  other  improvements  will  be  introduced. 
The  same  gentleman  has  also  recommended  in  his  valuable  work, 
the  Silk  Culturist,  (No.  2,  page  105)  artificial  mounting  slides, 
upon  which  the  worms  may  mount  and  spin  their  cocoons.  Those 
who  have  curiosity  to  see  these  improvements,  will  find  a  drawing 
of  them  in  the  work  referred  to. 

*  See  the  Cocoon,  Fig.  7,  Plate  1, 


34 


hung  up  until  such  time  as  the  moths  come  out,*  which 
will  he  in  one  or  two  weeks,  when  the  males  and  females 
will  couple  ;  they  may  be  taken  by  the  wings  in  pairs 
without  separating  them  and  placed  on  large  sheets  of 
paper,  (old  newspapers  will  do,)  where  they  are  to  re- 
main ;  as  many  pairs  of  moths  as  can  conveniently  lie  on 
the  papers  may  be  placed  there.  The  room  in  which 
these  are  placed  should  be  secure  from  mice  and  ants, 
and  the  sun  should  not  be  permitted  to  shine  on  them  in 
any  stage  of  their  existence ;  as  soon  as  the  moths  on 
one  sheet  have  done  laying  their  eggs,  it  should  be  folded 
up  and  put  down  cellar,  or  in  some  cool,  dry  place  until 
wanted  for  use  the  next  spring. 

The  moths  (see  fig.)  are  in  the  form  of  a  grayish 
wrhite  butterfly  and  generally  begin  to  lay  their  eggs  in 
24  to  36  hours,  after  leaving  the  cocoon.  Each  female 
moth  will  lay  from  three  to  four  hundred  eggs,  general- 
ly handsomely  disposed  and  firmly  attached  to  the  paper 
in  a  circular  form. 

Should  the  eggs  be  permitted  to  remain  exposed  to 
the  warm  weather,  they  will  sometimes  hatch  the  same 
season,  and  unless  another  crop  be  desired,  they  will  be 
lost.  The  moths  eat  nothing  after  leaving  the  cocoons, 
and  die  in  a  few  days  after  depositing  the  eggs. 

DISEASES    OF    SILK    WORMS. 

The  foreign  writers  enumerate  and  describe  a  variety  of 
diseases  to  which  silk  worms  are  liable  in  their  differen 
ages,  and  particularly  in  the  fifth,  which  all  agree  to  be  the 
most  critical.     But  to  all  these  diseases  they  prescribe  the 

*  See  the  Fly,  Fig.  8,  Plate  1. 


35 

same  means  of  prevention  and  the  same  remedies  when 
they  have  occurred.  It  is  therefore  unnecessary  to  de- 
scribe Jieir  various  symptoms,  as  it  would  lead  to  no  good 
practical  result. 

The  diseases  of  silk  worms  generally  arise  from  the 
want  of  sufficient  air  and  space,  from  their  not  being  kept 
dry,  and  being  fed  with  damp  leaves,  and  also  from  their 
not  being  kept  sufficiently  clean,  particularly  in  the  fifth 
age.  The  fermentation  of  their  litter,  the  dampness  and 
the  bad  air  which  it  occasions,  are  the  most  frequent  cau- 
ses of  mortality  among  them.  The  greatest  care  there- 
fore should  be  taken  to  keep  them  constantly  clean  and 
dry,  and  to  give  them  a  sufficient  quantity  of  space  and 
air;  a  current  of  air  in  fine  warm  days,  should  always 
be  let  into  their  nursery.  If,  notwithstanding  all  the  care 
taken,  some  general  sickness  should  declare  itself  among 
them,  the  remedy  recommended  by  the  writers,  is,  to  give 
them  a  change  of  air,  by  transporting  them  into  another 
room.  But  this  may  not  always  be  convenient.  It  is 
with  these  animals,  as  with  our  species,  easier  to  prevent 
diseases  than  to  cure  them.  If  nothing  better  can  be  done, 
the  diseased  worms  must  be  thrown  away.  The  chloride 
of  lime  and  soda  have  been  used  with  good  effect  in 
some  nurseries  to  cleanse  the  air. 

Before  the  worms  begin  to  mount  and  spin  their  co- 
coons, they  void  themselves  of  their  excrements,  and  they 
generally  do  it  on  or  near  the  edge  of  the  board  on  which 
they  are  placed.  Those  who  have  not  strength  enough 
to  cast  off  their  excrements/die  in  the  attempt,  and  in  the 
morning  numbers  of  them  are  found  dead.  They  should 
be  carefully  taken  up  and  thrown  away.  When  many 
are  found  in  that  condition,  it  is  a  sign  that  the  litter  is 
fermenting  and  that  a  cleaning  is  necessary. 


36 


It  is  possible  that  there  may  be  diseases  of  the  silk 
worms  peculiar  to  the  climate.  Experience  will  enlight- 
en us  on  the  subject.  I  have  heard  that  ladies  in  one  of 
our  Southern  States  have  lost  all  their  worms  this  year, 
from  the  plague  getting  in  among  them.  It  is  certain  that 
there  are  epidemic  disorders  by  which  whole  nurseries 
of  silk  worms  are  sometimes  destroyed.  But  these  are 
of  rare  occurrence  in  our  country;  and  it  is  hoped  that 
they  may  be  prevented  by  careful  attention  to  the  rules 
prescribed. 

CURING    THE    COCOONS. 

Were  it  possible  to  wind  off  all  the  cocoons  before  the 
insect  naturally  pierces  them,  it  would  be  best  to  do  it, 
because  the  silk  at  that  time  winds  off  with  greater  ease 
than  afterwards.  But  as  this  is  sometimes  impossible, 
and  often  inconvenient,  various  methods  have  been  de- 
vised to  stifle  the  ehrysales  in  the  cocoons.  This  may 
be  done  by  placing  them  in  an  oven,  moderately  heated, 
or  in  the  steam  of  boiling  water  ;  even  the  sun  is  sufficient 
for  this  purpose  in  southern  latitudes,  by  acting  upon 
them  several  days.  I  have  used  the  first  method  with 
success.  The  oven  being  moderately  heated,  the  co- 
coons were  spread  out,  in  oblong  baskets  eight  inches 
deep,  in  box  covers,  pans,  &LC,  and  permitted  to  remain 
in  the  oven  half  an  hour.  In  being  cured  they  lose  about 
twentyfive  per  cent  in  weight.  Mr  Smith  of  Baltimore 
says,  he  has  found  the  following  method  preferable  to 
any  other,  and  that  the  object  is  perfected  without  dan- 
ger of  injuring  the  silk.  I  put  the  cocoons,  says  he, 
into  a  tight  tin  vessel  with  a  cover,  closely  fitted,  and  put 
this  vessel  into  another  a  little  larger,  containing  such 
quantity  of  water  as  will  nearly  fill  it,  when  the  other  is 
put  into  it. 


37 


Fire  is  then  applied,  and  the  water  kept  boiling,  half 
an  hour  or  more,  according  to  the  size  of  the  vessel,  and 
until  the  cocoons  in  the  inner  vessel  shall  have  become  as 
hot  as  the  boiling  water.  The  cocoons  are  then  spread 
out  in  a  dry  room,  that  the  moisture  may  evaporate 
After  this  operation,  the  cocoons  are  ready  for  the  reel 
or  for  sale.* 

SPACE    REQUIRED    FOR    SILK    WORMS. 

It  is  calculated  that  the  worms  proceeding  from  one 
ounce  of  eggs,  which  in  numbers  are  estimated  at  35  to 
40,000,  should  have  a  space  on  the  shelves, 

squ.  ft.  in. 

In  the  1st  age  of  -         -         -         74 

In  the  2d  age  of  14     8 

In  the  3d  age  of         -        -        -        -       34  10 
In  the  4th  age  of  -         -  82    6 

In  the  5th  age  of  -         -         -     183    4 

As  a  general  rule  they  ought  not  to  touch  one  another. 

QUANTITIES  OF   SILK  YIELDED  BY  VARIOUS  PARCELS 
OF    COCOONS, 

Eight  pounds  of  cocoons  (16  ozs.  to  the  pound,)  pro- 
duced from  16  to  18  ounces  of  silk,  6  to  9  cocoons  to 
the  thread.  Mrs  Williams  obtained  nearly  one  ounce 
and  a  half,  from  244  cocoons. 

Miss  Rhodes  had  on  an  average  one  ounce  from  244 
cocoons. 

The  estimates  of  the  number  of  worms  to  make  a 
pound  of  spun  silk  are  various. 

*  This  might  do,  perhaps,  for  a  small  quantity  of  cocoons,  but  I 
think  for  a  large  one,  it  would  cost  too  much,  and  give  too  much 
trouble. 

4 


38 


Mr  Storrs,  of  Conn,  says  4000 ;  Mr  Tufts,  of  Dudley, 
3000  ;  Mr  D'Hornergue  says  2400,  of  350  to  a  pound, 
the  moth  not  stifled. 

I  should  say  the  last  estimate  was  the  most  correct, 
and  even  a  less  number  will  produce  a  pound  if  they 
are  well  taken  care  of.  I  have  had  three  pounds  from 
8000  in  one  season  including  floss. 

WEIGHT    OF    COCOONS. 

Two  hundred  cocoons,  from  worms  raised  in  the  ear- 
ly settlement  of  Georgia,  weighed  a  pound.  In  Penn- 
sylvania, 306  cocoons  from  worms  fed  by  the  late  Mr 
Busti,  and  from  490  to  600  in  the  establishment  of  Mr 
Terhoven,  weighed  a  pound.* 

It  is  very  evident  that  there  is  a  great  difference  in 
the  weight  as  well  as  the  quality  of  cocoons;  and  the 
quantity  required  to  make  a  pound  of  reeled  silk.  This 
may  depend  upon  the  different  variety  of  the  worms  or 
the  greater  or  less  care  in  nursing  them. 

*Mr  Pintard  of  Philadelphia,  has  raised  Silk  Worms  from  eggs  pro- 
duced on  Messrs  Terhovens'  farm,  335  of  the  cocoons  of  those 
worms,  chrysales  not  killed,  weighed  one  pound.  Mr  D'Homer- 
gue  aided  him  in  counting  and  weighing  them. 

Of  the  cocoons  raised  in  Philadelphia  by  Mr  D'Homergue  the 
present  year,  which  1  saw,  the  eggs  were  partly  from  South  Caro- 
lina and  partly  from  France  ;  the  former  were  large  and  were  found 
when  weighed,  to  contain  337  to  a  pound.  The  French  cocoons 
were  small,  ami  387  weighed  one  pound.  The  chrysalis  not  stifled 
and  the  cocoons  just  gathered. 

Of  cocoons  raised  in  Massachusetts,  by  Mrs  Davenport  o  Milton, 
frorn  eggs  furnished  by  me,  and  tended  agreeably  to  my  instruc- 
tions, 206  weighed  one  pound,  before  the  chrysales  were  killed, 
and  407  weighed  two  pounds. 


39 


The  following  calculation  of  the  labor  attending  and 
connected  with  the  culture  of  silk,  is  by  John  Fitch,  Esq. 
of  Mansfield,  Conn,  and  is  taken  from  the  Manual  pub- 
lisher by  order  of  Congress.  One  acre  of  full  grown 
mulberry  trees,  set  one  and  a  half  rods  apart,  will  pro- 
duce 40  pounds  of  silk. 

The  labor  may  be  estimated  as  follows  : 

For  the  three  first  weeks  after  the  worms  are  hatch- 
ed, one  woman  who  is  acquainted  with  the  business,  or 
children  who  would  be  equal  to  such  a  person. 

For  the  next  twelve  or  fourteen  days,  five  hands  or 
what  would  be  equal  to  five  if  performed  by  children, 
In  this  period  two  men  with  other  help  would  be  employ- 
ed to  better  advantage  than  all  women  and  children. 
This  period  finishes  with  the  worms.  For  picking  of 
the  balls  and  reeling  the  silk,  it  will  require  about  the 
same  amount  of  labor  for  the  same  length  of  time  as  the 
last  mentioned  period,  which  may  all  be  performed  by 
women  and  children.  The  aforesaid  labor  and  board 
may  be  estimated  at  eighty  dollars ;  spinning  the  silk  at 
thirtyfour  dollars  ;  forty  pounds  of  silk,  at  the  lowest  cash 
price  is  worth  two  hundred  dollars,  which  makes  the 
following  results. 

40  pounds  silk  at  $5  per  pound  -         -         $900,  00 

Labor  and  board        -  80,00 

Spinning  34,00 

114,00 


Net  profit  per  acre  $86,00 

The  principal  part  of  the  labor  may  be  performed  by 
women  and  children.  But  when  the  business  is  carried 
on  to  a  considerable  extent  it  is  considered  more  profita- 
ble to  employ  some  men  for  the  last  period  of  the  worms. 


40 

COST  OF  RAISING  SILK  WORMS,  BY  MR  D'HOMERGUE. 

Four  ounces  of  eggs,  each  ounce  containing  about 
35,000  eggs,  making,  in  all.  140,000  eggs. 

If  the  mulberry  trees  are  on  the  farm  where  the  eggs 
are  raised,  two  women  are  sufficient  to  gather  the  leaves, 
until  the  fourth  moulting.  The  worms  should  be  fed 
three  times  a  day,  and  cleaned  once  after  each  moulting. 

In  the  last  ten  days  additional  help  is  necessary,  as 
the  worms  require  more  frequent  cleaning,  in  consequence 
of  the  greater  quantity  of  leaves  which  they  consume  ; 
and  to  prevent  fermentation,  and  consequent  sickness, 
more  attention  is  required  at  this  time. 

Mr  Du  Ponceau  has  raised  seven  ounces  of  eggs  with 
only  the  labor  of  two  persons,  and  these  not  employed 
the  whole  of  each  day,  except  on  the  last  ten  days,  and 
some  occasional  help,  who  were  employed  to  bring  leaves 
from  the  country,  two  miles  distant.  In  the  three  first 
weeks,  one  person  could  have  done  the  whole  business, 
except  gathering  and  bringing  the  leaves.  This  was 
done  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

The  following  is  the  calculation  of  Mr  D'Homergue.* 

An  acre  contains  45.537  square  feet.  1500  mulberry 
trees,  six  years  old,  will  produce  each  30  Ibs.  of  leaves, 
which  makes  45,000  Ibs.  An  acre  will  contain  1500 
mulberry  trees,  planted  at  the  distance  of  twelve  square 
feet  from  each  other.  This  is  in  case  it  is  wished  to 
grow  corn  or  wheat  in  the  intervals  between  the  trees. 
But  if  the  ground  is  to  be  devoted  to  mulberry  trees  alone, 
3000  trees  may  be  planted  on  an  acre  at  six  square  feet 
distance,  and  these  at  six  years  old  will  produce  90,000 

*  It  is  evi  lent  that  Mr  D'Homergue  does  not  mean  the 
one. 


41 


Ibs.  of  leaves.  Selling  the  leaves  at  half  a  cent  per 
pound,  the  purchaser  gathering  them,  or  at  one  cent  per 
pound  delivered  to  the  purchaser,  would  produce  in  the 
first  case  $900,  in  the  latter  $450. 

According  to  the  calculation  of  Dandolo,  which  appears 
exaggerated,  90,000  pounds  of  leaves,  at  twentyone 
pounds  of  leaves  for  one  pound  of  cocoons,  would  pro- 
duce at  least  3700  Ibs.  of  cocoons,  which,  at  twentyfive 
cents  per  pound  (the  rnoth  not  being  stifled,)  would  pro- 
duce $925.  After  killing  the  chrysalids,  the  cocoons 
will  produce  a  higher  price,  say  thirty,  forty,  or  perhaps 
fifty  cents  per  pound,  according  to  the  quality  and  the 
abundance,  or  scarcity  of  the  articles,  and  the  profit  will 
be  proportionate. 

The  said  3700  pounds  of  cocoons,  being  good  and 
well  reeled,  will  produce,  at  eight  pounds  of  cocoons 
for  one  pound  of  silk,  420  pounds  of  the  raw  article, 
which  at  $3  perpound/the  price  China  silk  sells  for  in 
our  seaports,  will  amount  to  $1260;,  and  if  perfectly 
well  reeled  and  suited  to  the  European  market  may 
produce  $2520,  at  the  rate  of  $6  per  pound. 


4* 


PART   III. 


REELING  AND  MANUFACTURING  SILK. 

IN  Europe,  where  the  divisibility  of  labor  is  carried 
on  to  a  great  extent,  it  is  thought  necessary  that  the  silk 
should  pass  through  the  hands  of  many  workmen  before 
Jt  can  be  brought  into  goods  for  sale.  But  I  have  been 
able  with  the  assistance  of  one  man,  to  turn  my  raw  silk 
to  a  profitable  account  in  the  manufacture  of  fringes, 
cords,  furniture  bindings,  &c,  which  are  in  demand  in 
our  market,  and  which  have  produced  more  profit  than 
sewing  silk.  Those  who  do  not  choose  to  proceed  any 
farther  in  the  business  than  to  raise  the  cocoons,  may  re- 
alize a  reward  for  their  indusrry,  by  selling  the  silk  in 
that  shape.  I  have  lately  seen  regular  advertisements 
in  the  papers,  offering  cash  for  cocoons  ;  and  there  is 
no  doubt  but  that  there  will  soon  be  established  throughout 
the  United  States  a  regular  market  price  for  the  article. 

But  as  raw  silk  is  the  shape  in1  which  the  article  must 
be  sent  to  foreign  manufacturers,  if  exported,  and  in 
which  it  meets  with  a  cash  market  in  almost  every  part 


43 

of  Europe,  and  in  many  parts  of  our  own  country  ;  it  be- 
comes of  great  importance  that  we  should  reel  the  co- 
coons,   at  least,    and  that  in  the  most    economical    and 
profitable  manner.     The  art  of  reeling  was  formerly  car- 
ried on  to   considerable   extent  in  Georgia,   and    large 
quanities  of  raw  silk  were  exported.     It  has  been   car- 
ried   on  in   Connecticut   for  seventy    years,    in  a    way 
which  will  be  mentioned  hereafter.     Dr  Franklin  ad- 
dressed a  letter  on  the  subject  to  Dr  Cadwallader  Evans, 
from  London,  January  1 5,  1770.    The  Philosophical  So- 
ciety of  Pennsylvania,  to  whom  he  sent  the  work  of  the 
Abbe  Sauvage,  a  summary  of  which  has  been  published  by 
Mr  Odell,  of  Burlington,  resolved  to  petition  the  Legisla- 
ture for  the  encouragement  of  this  new  branch  of  industry, 
and   proposed   to  raise   a  fund   by  subscription,   for  the 
purchase  of  cocoons  and  a  filature.     Eight  hundred  and 
seventyfive  pounds,  were  obtained  the  first  year  among 
the  citizens,  and  this  money  was  laid  out  for  the  purpose. 
But  unfortunately  the  war  of  the  Revolut  on  put  a  stop 
to  the  scheme.     Lately,  however,  Peter  S.  Du  Ponceau, 
Esq.  of  Philadelphia,  the  friend  and  companion  in  arms  of 
Lafayette,  has  made  successful  exertions  in  this  depart- 
ment.    He  has  associated   to  his  labors   Monsieur   J. 
D'Homergue,  who  is  a  native  of  Nismes  in  France,  and 
was  educated  in  that  country  in  an  extensive  manufacto- 
ry of  silk,  and  is  familiar  with  all  the  processes  used  in 
that  country.     These  gentleman  have  published  a  valua- 
ble series  of  essays  on  the  subject  of  silk  culture,   the 
impulse  of  which  has  been  felt  throughout  the  Union,  and 
their  publication  has  on  the  whole,  thrown  great  light  on 
the  general  subject.     And  although  the  establishment  of  a 
national  school  of  filature  as  contemplated  by  these  gentle- 


44 


men,  has  not  yet  received  the  patronage  of  the  govern- 
ment, there  is  strong  reason  to  oelieve  that  it  will  be  fully 
considered  by  Congress  at  their  next  session.     Mr  Du 
Ponceau  sent  me  some  of  the  silk  reeled  by  Mr  D'Homer- 
gue  the  last  year,  which  was  of  excellent  quality.     I  had 
it  throwsted  by  Mr  Brown,  and  returned  to  him.     In  a 
late  letter  to  me  Mr  Du  Ponceau  stated  that  he  had  been 
honored  with  letters  from  all  parts  of  the  continent  from 
Maine  to  Louisiana,  requesting  information  on  this  sub- 
ject.   That  the  impulse  given  by  the  operations  of  Con- 
gress had  been  felt  even  in  Europe ;  that  he  had  caused 
one  hundred  copies  of  the  Report  of  the  Committee  on 
Agriculture  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States,  to  be  printed  in  English,  and  one  hundred  in 
French,    and  to  be  disseminated    throughout  Europe. 
The  result  had  been  that  numbers  of  silk  manufacturers, 
throwsters,  dyers  and  weavers,  had  come  to  this  country 
from  England,  France  and  Germany,  having  heard  at 
home  that  the  silk  business  was  encouraged  here ;  but 
they  have  found  no  work  for  want  of  raw  silk,  and  were 
obliged  to  turn  to  the  cotton  manufactories  for  employ- 
ment.    That  no  reelers  were  among  them.     The  plan 
which  these  gentlemen  have  proposed  might  obviate  this 
difficulty  ;  and  all  must  allow  the  convenience  and  necessi- 
ty of  having  a  uniform  method  of  reeling,  and  of  the  im- 
portance of  availing  ourselves  of  all  the  skill  and  art  of 
foreigners  in  this  department.  The  elegant  flag  presented 
to  Congress  at  their  last  session  by  Mr  Du  Ponceau,  and 
a  similar  one  to  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  show 
what  may  be  done  in  this  way  at  some  future  period,  if 
the  time  has  not  yet  arrived,  to  creat  extensive  manu- 
factories.   Mr  D.  had  about  sixty  pounds  of  raw  silk  reel- 


45 


ed  at  his  filature,  which  he  has  sent  to  different  markets 
to  try  the  prices.* 

Mr  D'Homergue  divides  the  raw^silk  into  three  qual- 
ities, graduated  according  to  their  different  degrees  of 
fineness.  These  different  qualities,  before  they  undergo 
the  operations  that  are  to  fit  them  for  the  loom,  are  dis- 
tinguished as  first,  second  and  third  qualities  beginning 
with  the  finest.  They  assume  other  names  as  soon  as 
they  have  been  prepared  and  made  fit  for  the  manufac- 
turer. Then  they  have  ceased  to  be  raw  silk,  and  they 
are  called  singles,  organzine  and  tram  silks,  according 
to  their  different  degrees  of  fineness,  and  the  manner  in 
which  they  have  been  passed  through  a  certain  machine 
called  a  mill. 


*  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  visited  thn  city  of  Philadelphia, 
and  was  politely  favored  by  Mr  Du  Ponceau,  with  liberty  to  make 
several  visits  to  his  nursery  and  filature.  The  filature  was  establish- 
ed by  Mr  Du  Ponce-iu  under  the  direction  of  Mr  D'Homergue, 
in  which  ten  reels  have  been  employed,  each  of  which  is  worked 
by  two  women  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr  D'Homergue.  This 
filature  is  not  in  a  room,  but  under  a  shed  en'irely  open  on  one  side 
with  hangings  from  the  roof  on  the  other,  which  may  be  opened 
when  required  to  promote  a  free  circnlation  of  air.  The  reels  of 
this  filature  are  made  chiefly  on  the  model  of  the  Piedmontese  reel, 
(vide  plate)  somewhat  simplified  by  Mr  D'Homergue,  Mr  D'Homer- 
gue put  one  of  these  reels  in  operaHon  in  my  presence,  and  it  ap- 
peared to  work  very  easily.  The  silk  reeled  by  Mr  D'Homergue,  at 
that  time,  I  have  preserved  as  a  specimen,  and  have  since  been  in- 
formed by  an  intelligent  merchant  of  New  York,  that  it  would  bring 
seven  dollars  a  pound  in  France  I  was  also  shown  several  parcels 
of  sewing  silk,  manufactured  by  Mr  D'Homergue,  from  the  refuse 
cocoons.  I  take  this  opportunity  to  acknowledge  the  fairness  and 
liberality  of  these  gentlemen  in  introducing  me  to  every  depart- 
ment of  the  siU  business,  and  for  the  polite  attentions  I  received 
from  them  during  a  visit  of  two  or  three  days  to  their  city.  —  E!D, 


46 

Singles  (called  in  French  le  poil)  that  is  to  say  hair 
silk,  is  made  of  the  first  quality  of  raw  silk,  consequently 
the  finest,  as  the  name  implies.  It  is  made  of  a  single 
thread.  This  silk  is  used  for  the  woof  of  the  lighter 
stuffs,  the  warp  which  is  made  of  cotton  thread. 

Organzine  (in  French  organsins)  is  the  next  in  fine- 
ness. It  is  employed  in  weaving  to  make  the  warp  of 
those  stuffs  that  are  made  entirely  of  silk. 

Tram  silk  (in  French  La  tram-e)  which  means  woof 
silk,  is  thickest  of  the  three  and  is  the  thread  of  which 
is  made  the  woof  of  silk  stuffs. 

Of  the  three  qualities  of  raw  silk  of  which  these  differ- 
ent threads  are  made,  the  second,  that  which  makes 
organzine,  is  the  most  in  demand  in  foreign  markets. 
It  was  in  extracting  the  silk  to  form  this  quality  that 
Mr  D'Hornergue  discovered  the  superior  fineness  of  the 
American  silk,  by  finding  that  it  required  a  much  greater 
quantity  of  threads  to  produce  the  different  qualities  of 
raw  silk  above-mentioned  than  the  cocoons  of  Europe. 

In  regard  to  the  imperfect  cocoons,  Mr  D'Hornergue 
makes  use  of  the  excellent  paragraph  from  scripture, 
6  gather  up  the  fragments  that  nothing  remain.'  He  says 
there  are  a  great  variety  of  these,  whose  threads  are  not 
susceptible  of  being  prepared  for  the  manufacture  of  silk 
stuffs.  They  are  called  in  French  chiques.  The  mate- 
rial extracted  from  these  cocoons  is  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  sewing  silk.  This  silk  is  of  two  kinds, 
each  of  which  has  its  first  and  second  quality.  The  name 
of  sewing  silk  is  exclusively  appropriated  to  the  finest  of 
these  two  species,  the  other  is  called  cordonnet  or  twist. 

The  sewing  silk,  so  called,  is  employed  in  the  sewing 
of  silk  stuffs,  the  cordonnet  is  used  for  working  button" 


47 


holes,  and  working  woollen  and  cotton  stuffs.  The  one 
is  for  the  use  of  tailors,  the  other  for  milliners  and  mantua- 
makers.  Tailors  employ  it  only  in  the  more  delicate 
works.  The  raw  silk  for  these  purposes  is  extracted  from 
the  bad  cocoons,  reeled  and  wound  into  skeins,  according 
to  its  different  degrees  of  fineness,  in  the  same  manner 
and  by  the  same  process  (varying  only  in  details)  as  that 
intended  to  be  used  for  the  manufacture  of  fine  stuffs. 
It  is  sold  in  market  under  the  name  of  raw  silk,  but  does 
not  bear  so  high  a  price  as  the  other. 

There  is  a  loose,  furzy  substance  on  the  outside  of  the 
cocoons,  wh'ch  is  neither  fit  for  use  in  the  silk  manufac- 
tory, nor  for  sewing  silk.  This  is  commonly  called  floss. 
To  this  are  added  all  which  either  form  some  defect  in 
the  cocoons  or  from  the  awkwardness  of  the  reeler,  either 
break  or  come  out  uneven,  or  are  otherwise  unfit  for  use, 
and  which  are  called  waste  silk.  This  mass  boiled  in 
soap  and  water,  and  afterwards  carded  and  spun  on  the 
spinning  wheel,  makes  excellent  yarn  for  stockings. 

Mr  D'Homergue  classes  the  different  kinds  of  silk  ex- 
tracted from  the  cocoons  into  six  different  kinds,  viz. 

Jst,  Silk  of  the  first  quality  or  singles. 

2d,  Silk  of  the  second  quality  or  organzine. 

3d,  Silk  of  the  third  quality  or  tram  silk. 

4th,  Sewing  Silk  of  the  first  and  second  quality. 

5th,  Cordonnet  or  twist  Silk  of  the  first  and  2d  quality. 

6th,  Floss  Silk. 

The  whole  of  the  labor  of  extracting  these  different 
silks  from  the  cocoons,  and  all  the  preparatory  work  until 
it  is  put  to  the  mill  is  done  in  France  by  women,  who 
have  separate  tasks  assigned  to  them  in  each  of  the 
yarious  complicated  branches  of  this  business  ;  the  work- 


48 

shops  are  superintended  by  an  overseer  who  is  master  of 
the  whole  business. 

Mr  Murray,  a  European  writer,  says  that  he  visited  an 
establishment  for  unwinding  the  silk  at  Buffalora  on  the 
Milanese  frontier.  Women  were  arranged  opposite  each 
other  and  conducted  the  process ;  the  cocoons  contained 
in  baskets  on  one  side,  were  thrown  by  handfuls  into  caul- 
drons of  water,  kept  boiling  by  charcoal  fires  beneath. 
Each  (by  a  whisk  of  peeled  birch)  collected  the  threads  en 
masse ;  the  first  confused  portions  were  rejected  till  the 
threads  unwound  regularly,  freely  passing  over  the  glass 
rods  to  prevent  the  injuries  of  friction.  The  first  portions, 
necessarily  useless,  are  separated  by  the  hand.  When  the 
thread  came  off  uniformly,  the  cocoons  were  raised,  sus- 
pended to  the  hand  by  their  respective  threads,  and  thus 
handed  over  to  those  on  the  opposite  side,  who  in  their 
turn  threw  them  into  cauldrons  of  water,  the  temperature 
of  which  was  nearly  that  of  blood  heat  and  more  than  milk 
warm,  thus  sustained  by  a  steam  pipe.  The  water  was 
thus  kept  clean  and  the  silk  preserved  pure  and  unsoiled  ; 
from  these  the  threads  were  finally  wound.  The  pro- 
prietor informed  him  that  this  establishment  cost  about 
60,000  francs,  or  about  twelve  thousand  dollars. 

This  was  probably  Gensoul's  apparatus,  on  which 
great  encomiums  have  been  passed.  In  this  apparatus 
the  water  is  heated  by  steam ;  but  it  is  expensive  and 
has  not  yet  got  into  general  use  even  in  Europe. 

We  in  America  are  not  obliged  to  pursue  the  same 
course  that  is  followed  in  Europe.  The  ingenuity  and 
intelligence  of  our  community  will  soon  arrange  a  reeling 
apparatus  by  the  family  fireside ;  and  that  part  of  the  year 
which  cannot  be  employed  in  rearing  the  worms  will  be 


49 


advantageously  improved  in  reeling  the  cocoons  to  any 
given  pattern  or  degree  of  fineness  ;  nor  is  there  in  fact 
any  more  difficulty  in  it  than  in  the  manufacture  of  straw, 
and  many  other  employments  which  have  engaged  the  at- 
tention of  our  females.  The  time  is  not  probably  far 
distant,  when  America  will  excel  Europe  in  her  silk 
manufactures  as  much  as  she  now  does  in  her  cotton. 

The  great  requisite  in  reeling  is  evenness  and  equality 
in  the  threads.  After  the  cocoons  by  reeling  have  been 
converted  into  raw  silk,  that  silk,  before  it  can  be  used 
in  the  manufactory  of  fine  stuffs,  must  undergo  the  oper- 
ation of  throwsting,  that  is  to  say,  twisting,  which  is  done 
by  means  of  a  machine  called  a  throwing  or  throwsting 
mill,  and  the  mechanics  who  perform  that  work, are  cal- 
led silk  throwsters.  There  are  several  of  them  already 
in  the  United  States,  chiefly  from  England,  but  they  have 
as  yet  been  rnosily  employed  in  throwsting  foreign  silk, 
imported  chiefly  from  China.  The  operation  of  throws- 
ting  is  the  test  of  the  good  or  bad  reeling  of  raw  silk. 
If  it  be  entangled,  or  not  sufficiently  freed  from  its  gum, 
the  threads  break  in  the  preparatory  operation  of  wind- 
ing, and  that  occasions  much  loss.  If  the  threads  are 
not  equal,  that  is  to  say,  if  there  is  not  in  each  thread 
as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  number  of  fibres,  as  the 
twisting  is  done  by  machinery  which  works  by  an  equal 
regular  motion,  the  force  which  will  only  twist  the  strong 
parts  of  the  thread  will  break  the  weak  ones,  and  that 
with  the  loss  by  winding,  produces  what  is  called  waste. 
In  proportion  to  the  greater  or  less  quantity  of  waste  that 
is  found  in  raw  silk  is  the  price  or  value  in  foreign  mar- 
kets. 

Mr  Du  Ponceau  has   communicated  to  me  a  letter 
5 


50 


wnich  he  nas  received  from  an  eminent  silk  merchant 
in  Paris,  in  which  he  tells  him  that  the  hest  French  raw 
silks  of  1 5  to  20  fibres,  lose  only  by  waste  1  to  2  per 
cent ;  those  of  Asiatic  Turkey,  from  6  to  8  ;  those  of 
Calabria,  8  to  12  ;  those  of  Valencia  in  Spain,  6  to  8; 
those  of  Syria,  15  to  20  ;  and  those  of  Salonikt  and  the 
Morea,  he  says,  are  still  worse.  That  gentleman  re- 
quires two  years  for  the  American  women  to  learn  to 
reel  silk  in  perfection  ;  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  they 
will  learn  in  a  much  shorter  time.  The  silk  reeled  last 
year  at  Philadelphia,  by  women,  under  the  direction  of 
Mr  D'Homergue,  was  pronounced  in  England  to  be  a 
fair  beginning.  At  the  last  news  received  from  that 
country,  it  had  not  yet  been  thrown,  except  a  small  sam- 
ple at  Manchester,  which  was  said  to  have  undergone 
every  test,  and  produced  a  result  highly  satisfactory. 
In  quality  it  was  said  to  be  superior  to  most  Bengal  silk, 
and  equal  to  the  silks  of  Friuli  and  Trent. 

Mr  Richard  Radnell,  a  late  English  writer,  in  his  view 
of  the  English  silk  trade,  published  at  London  in  1828, 
states  the  average  waste  in  different  silks  to  be  as  follows  : 
—  French  silks,  4  to  1 0  per  cent ;  Lombardy  silks  4  to 
12  per  cent ;  Friuli  silk,  4  to  15  per  cent.  So  that  it 
would  seem  that  French  silk  is  better  reeled  than  Ital- 
ian silk,  which  is  different  from  the  opinion  before  gene- 
rally entertained.  On  silk  from  Persia,  the  waste  is  es- 
timated from  8  to  20  per  cent ;  and  on  Brutia  silk,  from 
4  to  18. 

As  to  Bengal  silk,  that  which  is  reeled  in  the  Com- 
pany's filatures,  which  is  distinguished  by  the  name  of 
Novi  Silk,  because  it  is  reeled  under  the  direction  of  an 
Italian  from  Novi,  in  Piedmont,  is  estimated  to  lose  by 


51 


waste  from  4  to  8  per  cent,  which  would  make  it  supe- 
rior to  French  silk  ;  while  that  reeled  in  the  native  fila- 
tures, as  they  are  called,  is  estimated  to  lose  from  5  to 
15  per  cent.  See  Radnell's  View,  p.  34. 

The  reeling  of  silk  from  the  cocoons  requires  skill, 
practice  and  experience.  But  let  not  those  who  under- 
take it  be  easily  discouraged  :  perseverance  and  attention 
for  a  short  season  will  enable  them  to  become  expert  at 
the  business,  although  their  first  efforts  may  seem  discour- 
aging. 

The  following  instructions  for  reeling  silk,  I  have  found 
from  practical  experience  of  several  years,  in  my  own 
family,  to  be  useful.  They  are  chiefly  extracted  from 
the  manual  published  by  authority  of  Congress. 

The  reeling  may  be  done  at  any  season,  but  best  in 
dry  weather ;  it  may  be  carried  on  in  the  dwelling-house 
or  in  a  shed,  or  other  convenient  out-building. 

The  softest  water  should  be  chosen  for  soaking  the  co- 
coons. The  proper  temperature  cannot  be  ascertained 
until  the  reeling  is  commenced,  owing  to  the  different 
composition  of  the  silk.  It  is  as  well  to  raise  it  to  near  the 
boiling  point,  and  then,  if  necessary  to  lower  it,  cold  wa- 
ter may  be  added.  The  soft  or  satiny  cocoons  require 
water  less  heated  than  the  others.  If  too  hot  water  be 
used  they  furze  out  in  unwinding.  The  dupions  or  dou- 
ble cocoons  require  the  hottest  water.  The  fire  under 
the  basin  may  be  lessened  or  increased,  as  the  occasion 
may  require  ;  a  little  attention  will  soon  enable  the  per- 
son who  has  the  management  of  the  basin  to  preserve  the 
water  at  the  proper  degree  of  heat.  The  reeling  is  effec- 
ted by  use  of  a  silk  reel,  (vide  plates)  and  a  basin  of 
water  set  over  a  moderate  fire  in  a  small  furnace.  The 
person  charged  with  the  management  of  the  cocoons  in 


the  basin  must  be  provided  with  a  small  whisk  of  broom 
corn,  or  birch  twigs,  cut  sharp  at  the  points  ;  and  being 
seated  behind  the  basin,  previously  filled  with  hot  soft 
water,  and  placed  upon  a  furnace,  containing  burning 
charcoal,  she  must  throw  into  the  water  a  handful  of  the 
cocoons,  and  press  them  gently  under  the  water  for  two 
or  three  minutes,  in  order  to  soften  the  gum  of  the  silk, 
and  thereby  to  loosen  the  ends  of  the  filaments.  She  is 
then  to  stir  the  cocoons  with  the  end  of  the  whisk  as  light- 
ly as  possible,  until  one  or  more  of  the  fibres  or  filaments 
adhere  to  it ;  when,  disengaging  it,  and  laying  aside  the 
whisk,  she  is  to  draw  the  filament  towards  her,  until  ft 
come  off  quite  clean  from  the  floss  which  always  sur- 
rounds the  cocoon,  and  the  fine  silk  begins  to  appear ; 
then  breaking  off  the  thread,  and  collecting  the  floss  first 
taken  off,  she  must  put  it  aside  ;  the  whisk  is  then  to  be 
applied  again  to  get  hold  of  the  firm  fibres,  and  again, 
until  a  sufficient  number  are  procured  to  form  the  thread 
of  silk  required  to  be  wound  off.  This  done,  she  is  to 
unite  a  number  of  the  fibres,  according  to  the  fineness  of 
the  intended  thread,  and  deliver  the  compound  thread  to 
the  reeler,  who  puts  it  through  the  guides  ;  another  thread 
is  in  like  manner  to  be  prepared  and  passed  through  the 
other  guides,  when  two  skeins  are  to  be  wound,  and 
they  may  be  crossed  ;  the  threads  are  then  raised  for- 
ward and  made  fast  to  one  of  the  arms  of  it.  Both  threads 
being  fastened  to  the  reel,  it  is  to  be  turned  with  a  regular, 
even  motion,  at  first  slowly,  until  the  threads  are  found  to 
run  freely  ami  easily  ;  for  it  will  happen  that  some  of 
the  ends  which  were  taken  to  compose  the  thread  were 
false,  because  on  taking  off  the  floss  there  may  be  two 
or  three  breaches  made  in  the  beginning  of  the  fibres, 


53 


which,  in  winding,  will  soon  end,  and  must  be  added 
anew  to  make  up  the  number   designed   for  the  thread. 

It  is  proper,  therefore,  in  the  beginning  of  the  thread, 
to  put  a  few  more  cocoons  than  it  is  intended  to  continue 
as-they  will  soon  be  reduced  to  the  proper  number.  The 
crossing  of  the  threads  is  considered  an  improvement, 
though  it  is  sometimes  reeled  without  crossing. 

As  soon  as  the  pods  begin  to  give  the  threads  free- 
ly, the  reel  is  turned  with  a  quicker  motion.  If  the 
pods  leap  up  often  to  the  guide,  the  reel  must  be  slack- 
ened, and  the  spinner  may  let  the  thread  pass  between 
the  thumb  and  finger  before  it  reaches  the  guide.  If  the 
thread  comes  off  in  burrs,  it  must  be  turned  quicker. 
The  fire  may  at  any  time  "be  increased  or  diminished, 
as  found  necessary,  that  the  reel  may  be  allowed  a  proper 
motion,  which  ought  to  be  as  quick  as  possible  without 
endangering  the  breaking  of  the  thread,  or  hurrying  the 
spinner,  so  that  she  cannot  add  fresh  cocoons,  as  fast  as 
the  old  ones  are  ended.  The  quicker  the  motion  of  the 
wheel  is,  the  better  the' silk  winds  off  and  the  better  the 
end  joins  to  the  thread.  One  might  imagine  that  the 
rapidity  of  the  motion  might  overstrain  and  break  the 
thread  ;  but  from  constant  experience  it  has  been  found 
that  the  thread  never  breaks  from  the  rapidity  of  the 
motion  ;  but  on  the  contrary,  the  quicker  the  motion  is, 
the  more  advantageous  it  is  for  winding  the  silk. 

While  the  reel  is  turning,  the  spinner  must  continually 
add  fresh  fibres  to  each  thread  as  fast  as  she  can  find 
the  ends,  not  waiting  till  some  of  the  number  she  began 
with  are  ended,  because  the  internal  fibres  are  much 
thinner  than  those  constituting  the  external  layers,  but 
must  constantly  prepare  fresh  ends  by  dipping  the  whisk 


54 


among  fresh  cocoons,  of  which  such  a  quantity  must  be 
occasionally  thrown  into  the  basin  as  will  suffice  to  supply 
the  threads  which  are  reeling,  but  not  more. 

The  cocoons  thrown  in  must  be  often  forced  under 
water  that  they  may  be  equally  soaked,  for  as  they  swim 
with  their  greater  part  above  water,  that  part  would 
remain  hard  and  stubborn,  while  the  part  which  is  un- 
der water  would  be  too  much  soaked  ;  some  hot  water 
may  be  thrown  upon  them  frequently  with  a  brush,  and 
also  on  the  cocoons  which  are  reeling,  when  they  grow 
dry  at  the  top  and  yield  the  fibres  with  difficulty.  The 
supplying  fresh  ends  when  the  cocoons  are  exhausted, or 
diminished  or  the  fibres  break,  is  performed  by  taking 
one  end  of  a  fibre  and  throwing  it  lightly  on  the  one  that 
is  winding,  and  rolling  them  between  the  thumb  and  fin- 
ger, or  gently  pressing  them. 

As  often,  therefore,  as  the  cocoons,  partially  wound, 
are  exhausted,  or  the  fibres  break,  fresh  ones  must  be 
joined  to  keep  up  the  number  requisite,  or  the  proportion  ; 
thus  three  new  ones  may  be  wound  and  two  half  wound, 
or  four  new  ones,  and  ^the  silk  will  then  be  a  thread 
of  four  to  five  cocoons.  The  adroitness  in  adding  fresh 
ends  can  only  be  acquired  by  practice.  The  difficulty  of 
keeping  the  thread  even  is  so  great,  owing  to  the  increased 
fineness  of  the  fibre  inside,  that  we  do  not  say  a  silk 
of  three  or  of  four  or  of  six  cocoons,  but  a  silk  of  three 
to  four,  of  four  to  five,  and  of  six  to  seven. 

In  coarser  silk  we  do  riot  calculate  so  nicely  as  one  co- 
coon more  or  less ;  we  say  for  example  from  twelve  to 
fifteen,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  cocoons.  In  beginning  a 
thread  often  cocoons,  from  sixteen  to  twenty  will  some- 
times be  required  to  preserve  a  uniform  thread,  after  a 


55 


portion  of  the  first  layer  has  been  wound  off.  The  quan- 
tity of  silk  which  can  be  reeled  in  any  given  time,  is  in 
proportion  to  the  quickness  with  which  the  spinner  can 
add  fresh  cocoons.  Thus,  if  we  suppose  that  every  co- 
coon at  a  medium,  will  either  break  or  be  wound  off  at 
the  end  of  every  five  hundred  feet,  then,  if  five  such 
pods  are  reeled  together,  one  will  be  wanted  to  every 
hundred  feet  that  are  reeled  ;  if  ten  are  reeled  together, 
one  will  be  wanted  at  every  fifty  feet ;  if  sixteen  together, 
then  at  thirtyone  feet,  and  so  on.  The  seldomer  cocoons 
end,  or  break,  the  greater  number  of  them  can  one  spin- 
ner attend,  which  shows  the  advantage  of  sound  cocoons 
and  of  expert  management  in  reeling. 

The  cocoons  which  wind  off  in  part  only  and  the 
shells  must  not  be  permitted  to  remain  in  the  water,  as 
they  will  obscure  and  thicken  the  water,  and  injure  the 
color  and  lustre  of  the  silk,  which  can  then  be  used  only 
for  dark  colors.  The  shells  should  be  buried^to  prevent 
their  being  offensive ;  as  a  general  rule,  the  water 
should  be  changed  as  soon  as  it  becomes  discolored. 

When  the  spent  cocoons  leap  up  and  adhere  to  the 
guide  wires,  they  must  be  immediately  taken  away,  else 
by  choking  the  passage  they  will  endanger  the  break- 
ing of  the  thread. 

When  the  reel  has  remained  any  time  idle,  the  thread 
between  the  basin  and  the  wires  may  be  wet,  to  cause 
the  thread  to  run  easily. 

In  winding  off  the  best  cocoons  some  defective  ones 
will  be  found  amongst  them,  which  will  not  wind  off  or 
are  full  of  knobs ;  these  should  be  taken  out  of  the  basin 
immediately  in  order  to  be  wound  by  themselves. 

The  breaking  of  the  fibres  is  principally  owing  either 


56 


to  bad  cocoons,  viz.  being  ill  ^formed,  (as  they  will  be 
when  the  worms  were  disturbed  and  interrupted  during 
their  spinning,)  or  the  fibres  may  break  by  improper 
regulation  of  the  heat  in  the  water ;  first,  when  it  is  not 
sufficient  to  make  the  silk  come  off  easy,  or  second, 
when  it  is  too  great  and  occasions  burrs,  which  may  stop 
at  the  holes  through  which  the  thread  runs  ;  cocoons  also 
which  have  two  worms  inclosed  will  "perpetually  break ; 
the  whole  thread  may  also  break,  by  burrs  stopping  at 
the  holes  of  the  guides,  or  by  the  reel  being  turned  by 
jerks.  It  may  be  fastened  like  the  fibres,  by  laying  the 
parts  on  one  another,  and  giving  them  a  little  twist. 

A  sharp  fork  may  be  conveniently  made  use  of  to  draw 
away  the  spent  cocoons,  or  such  as  being  nearly  spent, 
stick  at  her  holes  in  the  guides ;  and  as  the  whisk  will 
frequently  take  up  more 'ends  than  are  immediately  to  be 
added,  and  as  the  spinner  will  sometimes  haveoccasion  to 
employ  both  her  hands,  the  brush  may  at  that  time  be  con- 
veniently hung  up  by  the  basin,  while  the  cocoons  which 
are  attached  to  it  remain  in  the  water,  and  the  ends  will 
be  in  readiness  as  they  are  wanted1.  If  the  spinner  be 
under  the  necessity  of  leaving  off  work  for  any  length  of 
time,  the  cocoons  should  all  be  raised  with  a  skimming 
dish  out  of  the  watertill  her  return,  otherwise  by  oversoak- 
ingthey  would  wind  ofFin  burrs  ;  but  it  is  best  to  continue 
the  reeling  without  interruption,  anc!  to  let  fresh,  but 
equally  experienced  persons,  succeed  those  who  are  tired. 
The  person  who  turns  the  wheel  should  have  an  eye  to 
the  thread  and  to  the  guide  wires  through  which  they  pass, 
that  he  may  apprise  the  spinner  when  anything  is  wrong  ; 
for  her  eyes  will  be  sufficiently  employed  about  the  coc- 
coons.  The  reeler  may  also  rectify  anything  dis- 


57 


covered  to  be  amiss  in  those  parts  of  the  thread  which 
are  near  the  reel,  for  one  hand  will  always  be  employed, 
and  a  stop  must  occasionlly  take  place. 

As  the  heat  of  the  water  in  the  basin  will  require  to  be 
varied  according  to  the  ease  or  difficulty  with  which  the 
different  sorts  of  cocoons  give  off  their  silk,  the  spinner 
should  always  have  some  cold  water  within  reach,  in  or- 
der to  cool  that  in  the  basin  quickly,  when  the  silk  cornes 
off  too  easily  and  in  burrs.  The  water  is  also  necessary 
for  the  woman  managing  the  cocoons,  to  cool  her  fingers. 
More  fuel  should  also  be  at  hand  to  increase  the  heat 
quickly,  when  the  cocoons  do  not  give  off  their  silk  readily. 
If  there  should  happen  to  be  any  sand  in  the  water, 
the  heat  causes  it  to  rise  to  the  surface  and  fix  on  the 
cocoons,  the  thread  of  which  will  break  as  if  cut;  for 
this  reason  the  utmost  care  must  be  taken  to  guard  against 
it,  and  to  remove  it.  Previously  to  being  boiled,  the 
water  should  be  permitted  to  settle,  and  the  pan  must  be 
carefully  wiped.  If  necessary,  the  basin  may  be  cover- 
ed while  the  water  is  heating. 

When  the  cocoons  are  first  put  in  water,  if  the  silk  rises 
thick  upon  the  brush  or  comes  in  lumps,  it  is  a  sign  that 
the  water  is  too  hot;  if  the  thread  cannot  be  caught,  the 
water  is  too  cold  ;  when  the  cocoons  are  in  play  if  they 
rise  often  to  the  guide  wires,  the  water  is  two  hot ;  if  the 
cocoons  do  not  follow  the  threads,  it  is  too  cold.  It  will 
be  seen,  by  observing  the  position  of  the  thread  upon 
the  reel,  that  the  different  layers  do  not  lie  parallel  to,  nor 
upon,  but  cross  one  another.  This  is  owing  to  the 
mechanism  of  the  apparatus,  and  is  particularly  con- 
trived to  effect  this  object,  which  is  essential  to  the 
perfection  of  the  process,  and  one  to  which  the  acknowl- 


58 


edged  superiority  of  the  Italian  silk  is  to  be  ascribed. 
It  is  effected  by  the  see- saw  motion  of  the  distributing 
rod,  which  depends  upon  the  relative  proportion  be- 
tween the  axle  and  pulley ;  without  this  crossing,  the 
threads,  from  their  gummy  nature,  would  inevitably  ad- 
here and  render  the  subsequent  windings  and  twistings 
of  the  silk  very  difficult ;  this  sticking  together  of  the 
silk  is  called  glazing.  But  the  mechanism  abovemen- 
tioned  of  the  distributing  rod,  prevents  the  threads  ly- 
ing over  each  other  upon  the  reel  until  after  it  has  made 
many  revolutions,  and  the  former  threads  have  dried. 
During  this  time  the  exposure  of  the  threads  to  the  air, 
causes  the  first  layer  to  completely  dry  and  hence  no  ad- 
hesion between  them  can  take  place. 

The  effect  of  the  irregularity  of  the  movement  caused 
by  the  distributing  rod  is  also  to  imitate  in  the  unravel- 
ing of  the  cocoon,  the  same  method  employed  by  the 
silk  caterpillar  in  forming  it ;  for  it  is  a  fact,  that  the 
silk  fibres  of  the  cocoon  are  spun  on  it  in  zigzags, 
like  those  formed  by  the  silk  reel,  and  consequently 
the  operation  of  the  reel  is  an  imitation  of  nature,  of 
which  the  industry  of  the  caterpillar  instructed  by  her  is 
the  prototype.  Mr  Nouaille  says,  that  a  woman  at  Novi, 
(Italy,)  experienced  in  the  business  with  the  assistance 
of  a  girl  to  turn  the  reel  and  attend  to  the  fire  under 
the  cauldron,  can  with  ease  reel  off  one  pound  of  silk 
consisting  of  four  or  five  cocoons  of  the  most  perfect 
quality  in  a  day.  I  am  credibly  informed  that  the  price  of 
silk  reeled  according  to  the  above  directions,  in  Europe,  is 
from*four  to  seven  dollars,  according  to  its  fineness.  Mr 
D'Homergue  says  a  woman  may  now  reel  three  pounds 
in  a  day.  Mr  Brown  thought  he  could  reel  a  pound  in  a 


59 


day  upon  my  improved  reel,  but  1  have  never  been  able 
to  have  the  finer  qualities  of  silk  reeled  so  rapidly  in  my 
family.  The  silk  reeled  upon  my  reel*  sells  for  $4,50 
per  pound  as  it  comes  from  the  reel,  and  some  at  a  high- 
er price.  My  reel  is  similar  to  the  Piedmontese,  with 
some  considerable  improvements ;  it  is  finished  in  a 
much  neater  style  than  any  1  have  seen  in  this  coun- 
try ;  it  is  portable  and  will  be  furnished  to  any  who  may 
apply,  for  the  sum  of  twentyfive  dollars. 

In  preparing  the  dupions  or  double  cocoons  for  wind- 
ing, more  are  put  into  the  basin  at  once  than  of  the  fin- 
est kind.  They  must  be  first  well  cleaned  from  the 
floss  outside  ;  the  water  also  must  be  boiling  hot,  and  as 
the  silk  they  yield  is  of  a  coarser  quality  than  the  other, 
and  has  a  good  deal  of  floss  upon  it,  the  person  who 
turns  the  reel  must  take  the  opportunity,  while  the  one 
who  manages  the  basin  is  pieparing  the  cocoons  for 
winding,  to  clean  and  pick  off  the  loose  silk  from  that 
which  is  on  the  reel.  These  make  a  coarser  thread  of 
fifteen  to  twenty  cocoons ;  and  perhaps  as  coarse  as  from 
forty  to  fifty  cocoons ;  it  is  useful  for  filling  in  coarser  stuffs 
and  likewise  for  sewing  silk. 

The  satiny  cocoons  require  water  only  moderately 
heated.  The  proper  heat  will  be  found  by  observing 
the  manner  in  which  the  silk  comes  off  from  the  first  of 
them  which  are  put  in  a  basin,  and  as  already  said  of 
cocoons  generally,  if  it  come  off  thick,  cold  water  must 
be  added  until  the  proper  temperature  be  attained.  The 
gum  is  taken  out  of  the  silk  by  boiling  it  in  soap  suds. 

*The  fringe  of  the  curtains  in  the  house  of  Hon.  Daniel 
Webster  of  Boston,  was  made  by  Mr  Brown  from  silk  raised  by  me 
and  reeled  in  my  filature.  —  ED. 


60 


METHOD  OF  REELING  COCOONS  AND  MANUFACTURING 
SILK  IN  CONNECTICUT. 

Tn  the  first  place  the  cocoons  are  stripped  of  their 
floss  and  sorted  according  to  their  quality.  Then  a  large 
kettle  set  in  a  furnace  or  in  an  arch  is  filled  with  water, 
and  fire  is  kept  under  it ;  and  when  it  is  about  to  boil  a 
quart  of  cocoons  is  thrown  into  it.  They  are  immedi- 
ately stirred  perpendicularly  in  the  water  by  a  bunch  of 
broom-corn  tied  close  together  as  large  as  a  person's 
arm,  and  cut  square  at  the  end,  or  by  a  corn  broom,  or 
something  similar.  In  this  way  the  ends  are  collected 
and  attached  to  the  bushy  extremity.  They  are  then 
drawn  up  by  shaking  the  broom  or  whatever  they  are 
collected  with,  up  and  down  in  order  to  keep  the  co- 
coons in  the  water,  otherwise  they  would  rise.  If 
enough  for  a  thread  is  not  collected  the  first  time,  those 
ends  that  are  drawn  up  are  taken  off  the  bush  with  the 
hand  and  drawn  to  one  side  of  the  kettle.  The  process 
is  then  repeated  until  a  sufficient  number  is  collected  to 
form  a  thread  of  the  size  required,  which  is  usually  from 
eighty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  cocoons. 

Reeling  is  then  commenced  on  a  common  hand  reel, 
(such  as  is  in  common  use  in  families  in  New  England  for 
reeling  yarn  from  the  spinning  wheel),  and  the  silk  fibres 
run  off  about  as  fast  and  with  as  little  difficulty  as  yarn 
from  a  spindle.  Some  of  the  cocoons  run  off  before 
others  ;  and  when  on  this  account  the  thread  becomes 
too  small,  all,  the  fibres  are  broken  off,  and  what 
is  reeled  is  tied  by  itself  on  the  reel  and  another 
quart  of  cocoons  is  thrown  into  the  kettle  ;  the  ends  are 
collected  and  reeled  in  the  same  way  as  before,  and  each 


61 


separate  piece  is  tied  by  itself.  When  the  reel  is  full 
the  pieces  are  all  tied  together,  taken  off  and  immedi- 
ately dried. 

Most  of  this  silk  is  manufactured  into  sewing  silk  and 
twist  in  the  following  manner  :  —  it  is  immersed  for  a 
few  moments  in  boiling  water,  taken  out,  put  on  swifts 
and  spun  or  twisted  on  a  common  woollen  wheel,  begin- 
ning at  the  large  end  of  the  piece,  that  is  at  the  end 
which  was  reeled  first :  and  when  it  becomes  too  small, 
which  is  the  case  when  one  half  or  two  thirds  is  run  off, 
the  small  end  of  another  piece  is  added  to  it,  and  thus 
they  are  twisted  together.  It  is  then  spooled  directly  off 
the  spindle ;  a  sufficient  number  of  spools  is  put  into  a 
small  spool  frame  to  make  a  thread  of  a  proper  size, 
which  is  twisted  again  while  it  is  moist.  It  is  then 
reeled  again  and  cleansed  by  boiling  in  strong  suds  for 
three  hours,  then  dried  and  colored.  Undergoing  this 
process  it  shrinks  about  one  half  in  weight ;  after  this, 
for  sewing  silk,  it  is  doubled,  twisted  and  reeled  on  a 
reel  two  yards  long,  and  is  divided  into  skeins  of  twenty 
threads  each,  as  the  statute  of  that  State  requires.  If  it 
be  calculated  for  twist,  it  is  made  three- threaded,  twisted 
and  done  up  into  sticks  with  a  small  hand  machine,  and 
is  then  ready  for  the  market.  The  floss,  or  tow,  as  it  is 
called,  is  boiled  in  strong  suds  for  three  hours,  dried, 
picked,  carded,  and  spun  on  a  common  wool  wheel. 
The  yarn  is  woven  into  cloth,  which  is  worn  by  the 
women  for  every-day  gowns.  Jt  is  sometimes  manufac- 
tured into  very  strong  and  durable  carpets. 

Those  cocoons  that  the  grubs  have  pierced  are  boiled 
as  above  and  dried.     The  e,nd  that  is  not  pierced  is  cut 
off;  they  then  are  spun  on  a  linen  wheel  like  worsted, 
6 


62 


beginning  at  the  end  cut.     It  is  then  twisted  together, 
three  threaded  and  knit  into  stockings. 

The  imperfect  cocoons,  and  all  that  will  not  reel,  are 
boiled,  carded,  spun  and  manufactured  in  all  respects 
like  floss,  but  they  make  nicer  and  finer  cloth. 

The  Connecticut  sewing  'sil  k  doesnot  bring  a  higher 
price  than  the  reeled  silk  as  it  comes  from  my  reel.  As 
there  is  a  loss  of  one  half  of  the  weight  in  the  preparation 
of  sewing  silk,  it  is  evident  that  to  reel  it  properly  and 
sell  it  for  raw  silk  would  bring  a  hundred  per  cent  more 
profit. 


(SEE  PLATE.) 

This  is  an  improvement  on  the  Silk  Reel  of  Pied- 
mont. The  improvement  consists  in  the  simplicity  of  the 
machinery,  compared  with  that  of  the  Piedmontese  Reel, 
the  operation  of  both  being  exactly  the  same.  A,  is  a 
cvlinder  eight  inches  diameter  and  eight  in  length.  B,  a 
circular  groove,  half  an  inch  deep,  which  has  a  sweep  of 
six  inches.  To  lay  out  this  groove,  a  strip  of  paper  six 
inches  wide  and  of  the  exact  length  of  the  cylinder's  cir- 
cumference, is  doubled,  and  with  the  compass  a  sweep  is 
made  from  the  middle  of  one  end  of  the  doubled  paper  to 
the  edge  and  thence  to  the  middle  of  the  other  end  ;  the 
paper  is  then  turned  ove*  and  the  same  sweep  made  on 
the  other  side,  in  an  opposite  direction.  The  paper  is 
then  laid  on  the  cylinder,  and  the  groove  marked  upon  it 
for  cutting.  Thus  on  each  side  of  the  cylinder  the 
groove  will  form  a  semi-circle  meeting  in  the  middle,  and 
will  thus  cause  a  peculiar  motion  to  the  traversing  bar,  (C, 


63 


which  it  will  cause  to  move  slowly  at  the  extremities  of 
its  course  and  rapidly  in  the  centre,  thus  giving  time  for 
the  threads  to  take  hold  of  the  rails  of  the  reel  on  the 
outside  of  the  skein  before  it  begins  to  move  back.  C, 
the  traversing  bar,  with  the  brass  hooks  through  which 
the  silk  passes.  D,  a  bar  of  the  frame  on  which  a  brass 
plate  is  fixed,  with  small  holes,  for  the  silk  to  pass  through, 
and  which  stands  immediately  over  the  vessel  containing 
the  cocoons.  E,  the  drum,  eighteen  inches  diameter. 
F,  the  pulley,  ten  inches  diameter.  The  size  of  the  drum 
and  pulley  precludes  the  possibility  of  the  band  slipping. 

The  whole  frame  is  five  feet  long,  four  high,  and  two 
wide  in  the  clear,  and  the  timber  about  two  inches  square. 
It  is  put  together  with  keys,  for  the  convenience  of  tak- 
ing down  and  putting  up. 

The  necessity  of  the  machinery  for  producing  the  vi- 
bratory motion  of  the  traversing  bar,  will  be  understood 
when  it  is  stated,  that,  if  the  threads  are  laid  on  the  rails 
as  cotton  is  reeled  they  would  adhere  and  become  use- 
less, as  they  could  not  be  separated.  The  traversing 
bar  causes  them  to  bo  laid  on  in  such  a  manner  as  to  ob- 
viate this  entirely.  By  a  small  handle  near  the  rim  of 
the  drum,  the  reel  is  turned.  With  this  reel  the  relative 
proportionate  diameter  of  the  drum  and  pully  is  neces- 
sary, to  produce  the  proportionate  movement  of  the 
traversing  bar,  and  the  revolution  of  the  reel,  as  the  bar 
must  move  back  and  forth  five  times,  while  the  reel 
makes  nine  revolutions,  and  as  the  groove  is  formed, 
one  revolution  of  the  cylinder  causes  the  bar  to  move 
out  and  back  once.  This  reel  I  have  not  seen,  but 
give  the  description  of  it  as  published. 


APPENDIX. 


Short  Historical  Account  of  the  Efforts  of  Silk  Culture 
in  this  Country, 

IN  America  the  culture  of  the  silk  worm  was  introduc- 
ed into  Virginia  in  1623  by  James  I.  who  himself  corn- 
posed  a  book  of  instructions  on  the  subject,  and  caused 
mulberry  trees  and  silk  worms'  eggs  to  be  sent  to  the 
colony.  He  made  great  efforts  tofihave  it  take  place  of  the 
tobacco  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Thirty  years  afterwards 
it  was  enacted  that  every  planter  who  should  not  have 
raised  at  least  ten  mulberry  trees  for  every  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  his  possession,  should  be  fined  ten  pounds 
of  tobacco.  Five  thousand  pounds  of  tobacco  were 
promised  to  any  one  who  should  produce  one  thousand 
pounds  of  wound  silk  in  one  year.  In  1664,  Mr  Walk- 
er, a  member  of  the  legislature,  stated  that  he  had  sev- 
enty thousand  mulberry  trees  on  his  estate.  In  1666, 
all  statutory  provisions  were  repealed,  because  the  busi- 
ness was  in  so  thriving  a  condition  as  no  longer  to  re- 
quire protection.  The  decline  of  silk  business  in  that 
state  was  probably  owing  to  want  of  perseverance.  The 
new  emigrants  brought  with  them  new  views  and  habits  ; 
and  as  they  brought  their  slaves,  it  became  necessary 
that  an  immediate  annual  profit  should  be  realized. 
Hence  the  culture  of  rice  and  indigo  was  introduced, 
and  on  account  of  the  immediate  profit  derived  from 
their  culture,  that  of  silk  languished,  which  would  have 
required  a  steady  perseverance  for  a  course  of  years 


66 

The  culture  of  silk  was  introduced  into  Georgia  at 
the  earliest  period  of  its  settlement.  The  trustees  ofthe 
colony  transmitted  mulberry  trees  as  well  as  seeds  and 
silk  worms'  eggs.  The  public  seal  of  the  colony  repre- 
sented silk  worms  in  their  various  stages.  In  the  year 
1736  a  quantity  of  raw  silk  was  raised  in  that  colony, 
and  was  manufactured  at  Derby,  by  Sir  Thomas  Combe, 
into  a  piece  of  stuff  and  presented  to  the  queen.  A 
few  years  before  our  Revolution  considerable  quanti- 
ties of  raw  silk  began  to  be  exported  to  England,  which 
was  found  equal  to  the  best  silk  of  Piedmont,  and  to  be 
worked  with  less  waste  than  the  China  silk.  In  1776 
more  than  twenty  thousand  pounds  of  raw  silk  were 
imported  into  England  from  Georgia. 

No  result  of  any  consequence  seems  to  have  follow- 
ed the  exertions  of  Dr  Franklin  to  establish  a  filature 
at  Philadelphia  in  1769.  The  revolution  came  on 
and  put  an  end  to  the  undertaking.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  if  the  United  States  had  continued  to  remain 
British  colonies,  the  culture  of  silk  would  have  made 
an  immense  progress  in  this  country,  because  its  promotion 
wasa  matter  of  vital  interestto  the  mo:  her  country,  whose 
manufacturers  would  have  been  furnished  from  hence  with 
the  raw  material,  which  they  are  obliged  to  purchase  at 
a  great  expense,  drawing  very  little  from  their  domin- 
ions in  Bengal,  where  it  seems  it  is  imperfectly  prepared. 

In  Connecticut  this  culture  has  been  attended  to  for  sev- 
enty years,  and  it  is  probable  that  about  four  tons  are  now 
raised  annually  in  the  county  of  Windham.  1  was  told  by 
an  intelligent  citizen  of  that  county  during  my  visit  there 
in  1828,  that  the  culture  was  found  profitable  and  was  the 
best  business  they  could  pursue.  I  found  many  families,  in 
some  towns  nearly  all,  engaged  in  raising  silk.  A  family 
makes  ten,  twenty,  fifty,  or  a  hundred  pounds  in  a  season, 
according  to  their  supply  of  leaves.  It  is  evident  that 
they  will  derive  much  advantage  from  introducing  Eu- 
ropean skill  into  their  manufacture  ofthe  article.  I  am  told 
that  during  the  present  season  they  have  erected  a  factory 
and  employ  several  European  artists.  There  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  a  rapid  increase  of  production 


67 

will  soon  take  place  in  many  of  the  states  of  the  Union. 
In  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  and  Maine,  silk  has  been 
cultivated  in  small  quantities  with  success.  Individuals  in 
Massachusetts  have  cultivated  it  with  success  for  thirty 
years,  and  there  is  not,  probably  a  farm  in  the  state  on 
which  it  may  not  be  raised.  The  beautiful  specimens  of 
the  article  produced  at  the  agricultural  exhibitions  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Union  show  the  degree  of  interest  exci- 
ted at  the  present  time  on  the  subject,  and  indicate  that  at 
no  distant  day  great  national  wealth  will  be  derived  from 
the  exertions  that  are  now  undertaken  in  this  department. 

• 

EXPLANATION    OF  THE    SILK  REEL  OF    PIEDMONT.* 

The  frame  is  6  feet  5  inches  long,  4£  by  3  inches  thick. 
Distance  of  the  upright  posts  AB,  4  feet  4£  inches. 

CC.  Length  of  the  braces  of  the  frame,  20  inches  in  the 
clear. 

DD.  Legs  of  the  frame,  2  feet  3J  inches  long.  E,  shaft 
with  a  crown  wheel  at  each  end.  The  wheel  F,  9T\j-  in- 
ches in  circumference,  has  22  teeth.  The  wheel  G,  10 
inches  and  2-^  in  circumference,  has  25  teeth.  This 
shaft  has  an  iron  pin  at  each  end  1  inch'  long.  The  pin 
at  the  end  G,  plays  in  a  hole  in  the  shoulder  near  the  top 
of  the  post  O,  so  as  to  enable  the  teeth  of  the  wheel  to 
catch  and  work  in  those  of  the  pinion  at  the  end  of  the 
axle  of  the  reel,  which  axle,  by  means  of  a  pin  at  the  end, 
also  plays  in  a  hole  in  the  post  O.  The  pin  at  the  other 
end  of  the  shaft  plays  in  a  hole  in  the  post  K,  and  the 
teeth  of  the  wheel  F,  work  in  the  pinion  H,  fixed  on  the 
top  of  the  post  K,  by  means  of  a  burr  screwed  on  the  pin 
projecting  from  the  post  and  passing  through  the  centre  of 
the  pinion.  This  pinion  has  35  feet.  On  the  top  of  the 
pinion  H,  is,  a  crank,  having  a  sweep  of  4  inches,  and  re- 
ceives on  its  top  the  end  of  the  iron  wire-carrier  of  the 
traversing  bar  I.  The  crank  is  fixed  half  an  inch  from 
the  commencement  of  the  grooves  of  the  pinion.  This 
crank  is  shown  in  the  figure  H.  I,  a  traversing  bar,  2  feet 

*  See  Plate. 


68 


10  inches  long,  |  of  an  inch  wide,  f-  of  an  inch  thick, 
playing  through  the  posts  BK  :  height  of  the  post  from  the 
frame  17  inches. 

L,  an  iron  carrier  of  wire,  No.  1,18  inches  long,  fixed 
to  the  bar  I,  to  work  free  by  a  screw.  The  other  end  is 
fixed  by  a  burr  to  the  pin  passing  through  the  centre  of  the 
pinion  H. 

MM.  Two  wire  hooks  or  eyes,  (rampins)  7f  inches 
apart,  at  equal  distances  from  the  ends  of  .the  traversing 
bar  through  which  they  pass.  The  wires  to  the  commence- 
ment of  the  turns  of  the  hooks  are  5  inches  in  length. 

N-  The  reel ;  arms,  2  feet*2TV  inches  long  in  the  clear ; 
1£  inches  wide,  and  •$>  of  an  inch  thick  ;  rails,  20f-  inches 
long,  2  inches  broad,  T8<y  of  an  inch  thick  ;  two  of  the  arms 
are  jointed,  to  allow  the  skeins  of  silk  to  betaken  off  when 
reeled  and  quite  dry.  There  ought  to  be  an  extra  reel  to 
put  in  the  place  of  the  one  taken  off  to  prevent  the  work 
stopping, 

O.  Upright  support  for  the  axle  of  the  reel,  on  the  ends 
of  which  the  pinion  is  fixed,  to  work  with  the  wheel  G,  at 
the  end  of  the  shaft  E.  The  pinion  of  the  axle  has  22  teeth. 
P,  an  iron  plate  with  four  holes,  12  inches  long,  slightly 
hollowed,  projecting  3^  inches  from  the  bar  :  the  outside 
holes  are  3  inches  from  the  ends  ;  from  the  centre  of  one 
hole  to  that  of  the  next,  j  of  an  inch.  Distance  from  the 
two  inside  and  nearest  holes,  4-fy  inches. 

Q.  The  copper  basin  to  contain  hot  water,  in  which  the 
cocoons  are  immersed  when  reeling  off.  It  is  18  inches 
long,  1  foot  broad,  and  4^  inches  deep. 

R.  The  furnace  to  contain  charcoal,  to  keep  the  water 
hot. 

Distance  from  the  centre  of  the  posts  AB  and  OK, 
inches.     Circumference  of  the  reel  6  feet  1 1  inches. 

Distance  from  the  top  of  one  arm,  where  it  enters  the 
rail,  to  another  arm,  18%  inches. 

From  the  axle  of  the  reel  and  the  traversing  bar  I,  4 
feet  8  inches. 


162 


NEW  WORK  ON  FRUITS, 


IN    PRESS    BY 

CARTER  &  HENDEE,  AND  J.  B.  RUSSELL, 

B  OS TON, 

The  NEW  AMERICAN  ORCHARDIST,  or  an 

Account  of  the  most  valuable  Fruits  and  Vegetables 
adapted  to  cultivation  in  the  climate  of  the  United  States, 
with  their  Modes  of  Culture  and  Management  ;  Reme- 
dies for  the  Maladies  to  which  they  are  subject  Trom 
Canker  Worms,  Borers,  Sec.  By  Wk.  KENRICK. 

This  work  will  contain  particular  descriptions  of  from  700  to  800 
select  varieties  of  fruit,  adapted  to  our  varied  climate,  and  r» ;!'  in- 
clude the  Olive  and  some  most  useful  tropical  fruits  which  may  be 
successfully  cultivated  in  our  Southern  territories. 

The  different  modes  by  which  the  new  varieties  of  fruit  have  been 
obtained,  will  be  described;  modes  of  pruning  and  tiaining,  by 
which  trees,  &c,  arc  rendered  fruitful  :  of  grafting  and  inoculation  ; 
and  of  the  modes  of  propagating  usually  adopted. 

It  will  contain   descriptions  (besides  old  sorts)  of  from  100  to  120 

rnrietica  of  Pears  of  UNDOUBTED  EXCELLENCE;  from  60  to 

80  of  which  are  not  particularly  described  and  condensed  in  any  one 

European  volume  which  has  hitherto  reached  us;    some  American, 

but  chiefly  the  new  and  most  approved  Flemish  varieties. 

The  descriptions  are  partly  from  personal  observation,  and  from 
assistance  received  from  some  of  the  most  intelligent  horticulturists 
of  New  England ;  from  the  best  writers  of  America,  and  the  best 
foreign  productions  ;  the  descriptions  of  Van  Mons,  the  splt-ndid 
edition  of  New  Dohamel,  the  Porrio'.ogical  Magazine,  the  superb 
Pyrus  Mains  Brentfordiensis  of  Ronald,  and  Lindley's  Guide  to  the 
Orchafd  and  Kitchen  Garden.  From  these  it  has  been  the  constant 
aim,  to  cull  from  their  extremely  varied  and  select  lists,  all  that  was 
beautiful,  excellent,  productive  and  profitable. 

From  these  will  be  formed  another  select  list, of  those  sorts  already 
approved  with  us,  as  the  best  and  most  productive. 

In  regard  to  the  new  varieties  of  fruits  of  America  and  of  Europe, 
it  will  be  the  aim  of  the  writer,  to  render  this  wo~\  particularly  in- 
teresting, and  adapted  to  th(  different  sections  of  our  highly  favored 
country. 

The  very  txest  of  late  English  works,  we  refer  to  those  just  n?  ied, 
those  celebrated  works  which  are  beyond  all  doubt  so  admi,  ably 
adapted  to  the  climate  and  country  for  which  they  were  principally 
designed,  and  as  auxiliaries  to  us,  are  exti<;i..ely  deficient  in  regard 
to  those  native  fruits  which  are  with  us  so  highly  esteemed. 

It  will  be  comprised  in  one  volume  of  about  300  pages,  ar.d  will 
be  furnished  for  about,4;  I  per  copy. 


